25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

m

28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon. 29 And Balaam said unto Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

d Ch. 24. 8.-e Dent. 33. 17. Job 39. 10, 11-f Or, in.-g Pea. 31. 19, & 44. 1. h Gen. 49. 9.-i Gen. 49. 27-kVer. 12. Ch. 22 38. 1 Kings 22 14.-1 Ver. 13. m Ch. 21. 20.—n Ver. 1-0 Ch. 23. 3, 15-p Heb. to the meeting of enchantments.

unparalleled, such words cannot be spoken of them, with strict truth. If we consider them as spoken of the patriarch Jacob and Israel, or of Jacob after he became Israel, they are most strictly true, as, after that time, a more unblemished and noble character, Abraham excepted, is not to be found in the page of history, whether sacred or profane; and for his sake, and for the sake of his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham, God is ever represented as favouring, blessing, and sparing a rebellious and undeserving people; see the concluding note, Gen. xlix. In this way, I think, this difficult text may be safely understood. There is another way in which the words may be interpreted, which will give a good sense. PR Aven, not only signifies iniquity, but most frequently trouble, labour, distress, and affliction, and these indeed are its ideal meanings-and iniquity is only an accommodated or metaphorical one, because of the pain, distress, &c. produced by sin. Spy amal, translated here perverseness, occurs often in the Scripture: but is never translated perverseness except in this place. It signifies simply, labour, especially that which is of an afflictive or oppressive kind. The words, therefore, may be considered as implying, that God will not suffer the people either to be exterminated by the sword, or to be brought under the yoke of slavery. Either of these methods of interpretation gives a good sense; but our common version gives none. Dr. Kennicott contends for the reading of the Samaritan; instead of an lo hibbit, he hath not seen; the Samaritan has an N lo abit, I do not see-I do not discover any thing among them on which I could ground my curse. But the sense above given is to be preferred.

.raim ראים

Verse 22. The strength of a unicorn] DN reem and It is generally allowed, that there is no such beast in nature as the unicorn; i. e. a creature of the horse kind, with one long rich curled horn in the forehead. The creature, painted from fancy, is represented as one of the supporters of the royal arms of Great Britain. It is difficult to say what kind of beast is intended by the original word. The Septuagint translate the word μονόκερος, the unicorn, or one-horned animal; the Vulgate, sometimes unicornus; and in the text, rhinocerotus, by which the rhinoceros, a creature which has its name from the horn on its nose, is supposed to be meant. That no single-horned animal can be intended by the reem of Moses, is sufficiently evident from this, that Moses, speaking of Joseph, says, "he has the HORNS of A unicorn, or reem; where the horns are spoken of in the plural, the animal in the singular. The creature referred to is either the rhinoceros, some varieties of which have two horns on the nose, or the wild bull, urus, or buffalo: though some think the beast intended is a species of goat; but the rhinoceros seems the most likely.

Verse 23. There is no enchantment, &c.] Because God has determined to save them, therefore no enchantment can prevail against them.

According to this time, &c.] I think this clause should be read thus: "As at this time, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel, what God worketh;" i. e. this prople shall always have prophetic information of what God is about to work. And, indeed, they are the only people under heaven who ever had this privilege. When God himself designed to

30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Balaam finding that God was determined to bless Israel, seeks no longer for enchantments, 1. The Spirit of God coming upon him, he delivers a most important prophetic parable, 2-9. Balak's anger is kindled against him, and he commands tai to depart to his own country, 10, 11. Balaan vindicates his conduct, 12, 13. and delivers a prophecy relative to the fature destruction of Moab by the Israel ites, 14-17, also of Edom, 18, 19, of the Amalekites, 20, and of the Kemtes, 21, 22 Predicts also the destruction of Ashur and Eber, by the naval power of Chittim, which should afterward be itself destroyed, 23, 24. Balaam and Balak separate, 25.

AND when Balaam saw that it pleas- An Exod Isr

40.

ed the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel 9 abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

8

4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

u

Ch. 2. 2. & c. -r Ch. 11. 25. 1 Sam 10. 10. & 19. 20, 23. 2 Chron. 15, 1-8 Ch. 24. 7, 18.- lieb. who had his eyes shut, but now opened -u See 1 Sam. 19. 24 E 1. 28. Dan. 8. 18. & Iu. 15, 16. 2 Cor. 12. 2, 3, 4. Rev. 1. 10, 17.

punish them because of their sins, he always forewarned them by the prophets; and also took care to apprise them of all the plots of their enemies against them.

Verse 24. Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion] labia, the great, mighty, or old lion, the king of the forest, who is feared and respected by all the other beasts of the field. So shall Israel be the subduer and possessor of the whole land of Canaan; and as a young lion, Nari, from arah, to tear off, the predatory lion, or the lion in the act of seizing and tearing his prey. The nations against whom the Israelites are now going, shall be no more able to defend themselves against their attacks, than the feeblest beasts of the forest are against the attacks of the strong lion.

Verse 28. Unto the top of Peor] Probably the place where the famous Baal-peor had his chief temple. He appears to have been the Priapus of the Moabites, and to have been worshipped with the same obscene and abominable rites. NOTES ON CHAPTER XXIV.

Verse 1. He went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments] We have already had occasion to observe that the proper meaning of the word er nachash, is not easily ascertained; see chap. xxi. 9. and see on Gen. ii. 1. Here the plural on nechashim, is rendered enchantments; but it probably means no more than the knowledge of future events. When Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he therefore thought it unnecessary to apply for any farther prophetic declarations of God's will, as he had done before; for he could safely infer every good to this people, from the evident disposition of God toward them. Verse 2. The Spirit of God came upon him] This divine afflatus he had not expected on the present occasion: but God had not yet declared the whole of his will.

Verse 3. He took up his parable] His prophetic declaration couched in highly poetic terms, and in regular metre, as the preceding were.

The man whose eyes are open] I believe the original one shetum, should he translated shut, not open; for in the next verse, where the opening of his eyes is mentioned, a widely different word is used, a galah, which signifies to open, or reveal. At first, the eyes of Balaam were shut, and so closely too, that he could not see the angel who withstood him, till God opened his eyes; nor could he see the gracious intentions of God towards Israel, till the eyes of his understanding were opened by the power of the Divine Spirit. This, therefore, he mentions, we may surppose, with humility and gratitude: and to the credit of the prophecy which he is now about to deliver, that the Moabites may receive it as the word of God, which must be fulfilled in due season. His words, in their meaning, are similar to those of the blind man in the Gospel-"Once I was blind, but now I see."

Verse 4. Falling into a trance] There is no indication in the Hebrew, that he fell into a trance; these words are added by our translators: but they are not in the original.

noppel, is the only word used, and simply signifies falling, or falling down, perhaps, in this instance, by way of religious prostration.

Verse 6. Lign aloes, which the Lord hath planted] Or, as the tents which the Lord hath pitched; for it is the same

6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and

as cedar trees beside the waters.

7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

d

9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

10 T And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to

v Pan. 1. 3. Jer 17.8-w Ps. 101. 16.-x Jer. 51. 13. Rev. 17. 1, 15.-y 1 Sam. 15. 9. 2 Sam. 5. 12. 1 Chron. 14. 2-a Ch. 23. 22-b Ch. 14. 9. & 23. H.-c Ps 2. 9. Isai. 30. 13. Jer. 50. 17.- Psa. 45. 5. Jer. 50. 9.-e Gen. 49. 9.-f Gen. 12. 3. &

word, D ahalim, which is used in the 5th verse. But from other parts of Scripture, we find that the word also signifies a species of tree, called by some the sandal tree, and by others the lignum, or wood aloes. The tree is described as being eight or ten feet high, with very large leaves growing at the top; and it is supposed that a forest of those, at some distance, must bear some resemblance to a numerous encampment. As the word comes from the root as ahal, which signifies to spread or branch out, and therefore is applied to tents, because of their being extended or spread out on the ground; so, when it is applied to trees, it must necessarily mean such as were remarkable for their widely extended branches: but what the particular species is, cannot be satisfactorily ascertained. By the Lord's planting, is probably meant, such trees as grow independently of the cultivation of man.Nullis hominum cogentibus; or, as Virgil expresses it, Sponte sua qua se tollunt in luminis oris. Virg. Geor. ii. 47.

"Such as sprung up spontaneously into the regions of light."

As cedar-trees] Gabriel Sionita, a very learned Syrian Maronite, who assisted in editing the Paris Polyglott, a man worthy of all credit, thus describes the cedars of Mount Lebanon, which he had examined on the spot:

"The cedar grows on the most elevated part of the mountain, is taller than the pine, and so thick that five men together could scarcely fathom one. It shoots out its branches at ten or twelve feet from the ground: they are large, and distant from each other, and are perpetually green. The cedar distils a kind of gum, to which different effects are attributed. The wood of it is of a brown colour, very solid, and incorruptible if preserved from wet. It bears a small apple, like to that of the pine."

De la Roque relates some curious particulars concerning this tree, which he learned from the Maronites of Mount Libanus. "The branches grow in parallel rows round the tree, but lessen gradually from the bottom to the top, shooting out parallel to the horizon, so that the tree is, in appearance, similar to a cone. As the snows, which fall in vast quantities on this mountain, must necessarily, by their weight on such a vast surface, break down these branches, nature, or rather the God of nature, has so ordered it, that at the approach of winter, and during the snowy season, the branches erect themselves, and cling close to the body of the tree, and thus prevent any quantity of snow from lodging on them."

Mr. Maundrel, who visited Mount Libanus in 1697, gives the following description of the cedars still growing there:

"These noble trees grow among the snow, near the highest part of Lebanon, and are remarkable as well for their own age and largeness, as for those frequent allusions to them in the word of God. Some of them are very old, and of a prodigious bulk: others younger, and of a smaller size. Of the former, I could reckon only sixteen; but the latter are very numerous. I measured one of the largest, and found it twelve yards and six inches in girth, and yet sound; and thirty-seven yards in the spread of its branches. At about five or six yards from the ground, it was divided into five limbs, each of which was equal to a great tree."-Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem,

P. 142.

11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from ho

nour.

12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,

k

13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?

14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

15 " And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Peor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16 He hath said, which heard the words of

27. 2.-g Ezek. 21. 14, 17. & 22. 13-h Ch. 23. 11. Deut. 23. 4, 5. Josh. 21. 9, 10. Neh. 13. 2.- Ch. 22. 17, 37.-k Ch. 22. 18.-1 Mic. 6. 5. Rev. 2. 14-m Gen. 49. 1. Dan. 2. 28. & 10. 14-n Vor. 3, 4.

Verse 7. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, &c.] Here is a very plain allusion to their method of raising water in different parts of the East. By the well, a tall pole is erected, which serves as a fulcrum to a very long lever, to the smaller end of which a bucket is appended. On the opposite end, which is much larger, are many notches cut in the wood, which serve as steps for a man, whose business it is to climb up to the fulcrum, in order to lower the bucket into the well, which, when filled, he raises by walking back on the opposite arm till his weight brings the bucket above the well's mouth: a person standing by the well, empties the bucket into a trench, which communicates with the ground intended to be watered.

His seed shall be in many waters] Another simple allusion to the sowing of rice. The ground must not only be well watered, but flooded, in order to serve for the proper growth of this grain. The rice that was sown in many waters, must be the most fruitful. By an elegant and chaste metaphor, all this is applied to the procreation of a numerous posterity.

His king shall be higher than Agag] This name is supposed to have been as common to all the Amalekitish kings, as Pharaoh was to those of Egypt. But several critics, with the Septuagint, suppose that a small change has taken place here in the original word; and that instead of ND me Agag, than Agag, we should read Migog, than Gog. As Gog in Scripture, seems to mean the enemies of God's people, then the promise here may imply that the true worshippers of the Most High shall ultimately have dominion over all their enemies.

Verse 8. God brought him out of Egypt] They were neither expelled thence; nor came voluntarily away. God alone, with a high hand and uplifted arm brought them forth. Concerning the unicorn, see on chap.

xxiii. 22.

Verse 9. He couched, he lay down as a lion, &c.] See the original terms explained chap. xxiii. 24.

These oracles delivered by Balaam, are evident prophecies of the victories which the Israelites should gain over their enemies, and of their firm possession of the Promised Land. They may also refer to the great victories to be obtained by the Lord Jesus Christ, that Lion of the tribe of Judah, over sin, death, and Satan, the great enemies of the human race: and to that most numerous posterity of spiritual children, which should be begotten by the preaching of the Gospel.

Verse 11. Lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.] A bitter and impious sarcasm. "Hadst thou cursed this people, I would have promoted thee to great honour: but thou hast chosen rather to follow the directions of Jehovah than mine, and what will he do for thee?"

Verse 15. The man whose eyes are open] See on ver. 3. It seems strange that our version should have fallen into such a mistake as to render one shetum, open, which it does not signify, when the very sound of the word expresses the sense. The Vulgate has very properly preserved the true meaning by rendering the clause cujus obturatus est oculus; he whose eyes are shut. The Targum first paraphrased the passage falsely; and most of the versions followed it.

Verse 17. I shall see him, but not now] Or, I shall see him, but he is not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: I shall have a full view of him, but the time is yet distant. That is, the person of whom I am now prophesying, does not at present exist among these Israelites, nor shall he appear in this generation. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall arise out of Israel-a person eminent for wisdom, and formidable for strength and power, shall arise as king among this people-he shall smile the corners of Moab; he shall bring the Moabites perfectly under subjection, see 2 Sam. viii. 2. And destroy all the children of Sheth. The original word pp karkar, from p karah, to mect, associate, join, blend, and the like, is variously translated, vastabit, he shall waste, VULGATE.ROVAμIUTEL. shall prey on, SEPT.- yishlot, shall rule over, TARGUM.-Shall shake, ARABIC.- barbend, shall put a yoke on, PERS.-Shall unwall, AINSWORTH, &c. &c.

The Targum of Onkelos, translates the whole passage thus:

"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but he is not near. When a king shall arise from the house of Jacob, and the Messiah be anointed from the house of Israel: he shall slay the princes of Moab, and rule over all the children of men."

united, blended fold, under one Shepherd and Bishop of their souls.

I cannot think that the meteoric star, which guided the wise men of the East to Bethlehem, can be intended here: nor do I think that Peter refers to this prophecy when he calls Christ the day-star, 2 Epist. i. 19. nor that in Rev. ii. 28. where he is called the morning-star, nor that in Rev. xxii. 16. where Christ is called the bright and morning star, refer at all to this prophecy of Balaam. Nor do I think that the false Christ who rose in the time of Adrian, and who called himself Barcocab, which literally signifies the son of a star, did refer to this prophecy. Had he, he must have defeated his own intention, because the Son of the star, is not THE STAR that should arise, but, at the utmost, a descendant; and then to vindicate his right to the Jewish throne, he must show that the person who was called the Star, and of whom he pretended to be the son or descendant, had actually reigned before him. As the sun, moon, stars, planets, light, splendor effulgence, day, &c. were always considered, among the Asiatics, as emblems of royalty, government, &c. therefore many, both men and women, had these names given to them as titles, surnames, &c. So the queen of Alexander the Great, called Roxana, by the Greeks, was a Persian princess; and in her native tongue her name was

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon has, in my opinion, perfectly hit the meaning of the prophecy in the following paraphrase of the text: I shall see him, but not now: This is DAVID. I shall behold him, but not nigh. This is the king MESSIAH. A Star shall come out of Jacob. This is DAVID. And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. This is the king MESSIAH. And shall smile the corners of Moab. This is DAVID, as it is written (2 Sam. viii. 2.) And he smote Moab-casting them down to the ground. And shall destroy all the children of Sheth. This is the king MESSIAH, of whom it is written, Ps. lxxii. 8. He shall have dominion from sea to sea.

Verse 18. And Edom shall be a possession] i. e. To DAVID, as it is said, and all they of Edom became David's servants. (2 Sam. viii. 14.)

And Seir shall be a possession] That is, unto the king MESSIAH, as it is said: "And saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." Obad. ver. 21.-See Ainsworth.

Verse 19. Out of Jacob shall come, &c.] This is supposed to refer to Christ, because of what is said, Gen. xlix. 10.

It is exceedingly difficult to fix the true sense of this prophecy in all its particulars. Probably the star, ver. 17. is only an emblem of kingly power. Among the Egyptians a star is said to have been the symbol of the Divine Being. The sceptre refers to the kingly power in exercise. The corners, or outskirts, may mean the petty Moabitish governments, as the Chaldee has understood the term. If karkar, which we translate, utterly destroy, be not the name of a place here, (which is not very likely) as it is in Judges viii. 10. it may be taken in one of those senses assigned to it, (see on ver. 17.) and signify the blending together; the children of Sheth, that is, all the inhabitants of the earth, for so the children of Seth must necessarily be understood, unless we consider it here as meaning some king of the Moabites, according to Grotius, or a city on the borders of Moab, according to Rabbi Nathan. As neither Israel nor the Messiah ever destroyed all the children of men, we must (in order to leave the children of Sheth what they are generally understood to be, all the inhabitants of the world) understand the whole as a prophecy of the final universal sway of the sceptre of Christ, when the middle wall of partition shall be broken down, and the Jews and Gentiles become one

queen to Ahasuerus, in place of the repudiated Vashti, and is called Esther, by Europeans in general, was called, in the language of Persia i Sitarch; from whence, by corruption, came both Esther, the Persian queen, and our word star. And to wave all father examples, a Mohammedan prince, at first named Eesouf, or Joseph, was called) Roushen Akhter, when he was raised to the throne, which signifies a splendid or luminous star. This prince, by a joyful reverse of fortune, was brought from a gloomy prison, and exalted to the throne of Hindoostan: on which account, the following couplet was made, in which there is a paranomasia, or play on the name Roushen Akhter; and the last line alludes to the history of the patriarch Joseph, who was brought out of prison, and exalted to the highest honours in Egypt.

روشن اختر بود اکنون ماه شد بوسف از زندن بر آمد شاه شد

Roushen Akhter bood, aknoon mah shud:
Youzef az Zendan ler amd shah shud.

He was a bright star, but is now become a moon.
Joseph is brought out of prison, and is become a glorious king,

Verse 20. Amalek was the first of the nations] The most ancient, and most powerful of all the nations or states then within the view of Balaam; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever, or his posterity, acharito, shall be destroyed, or shall utterly fail. This oracle began to be fulfilled by Saul, 1 Sam. xv. 7. 8. who overthrew the Amalekites, and took their king Agag prisoner. Afterward, they were nearly destroyed by Darid, 1 Sam. xxvii. S. and they were finally exterminated by the sons of Simeon in the days of Hezekiah, 1 Chron. iv. 41-43. since that time, they have ceased to exist as a people, and now no vestige of them remains on the face of the earth; so completely is their posterity cut off, according to this prophecy. The marginal reading does not appear to give the proper sense.

Verse 21. He looked on the Kenites] Commentators are not well agreed who the Kenites were, Dr. Dodd's opinion is, I think, nearest to the truth. Jethro, the fatherin-law of Moses, is called a priest or prince of Midian, Exod. iii. 1. and in Judges i. 16. he is called a Kenite; we may infer, therefore, says he, that the Kenites and the Midianites were the same; or at least that the Kenites and the Midianites were confederate tribes. Some of these, we learn from Judges i. followed the Israelites, others abode still among the Midianites and Amalekites. When Saul

destroyed the latter, we find he had no commission against the Kenites, 1 Sam. xv. 6. but it appears that they were then a small and inconsiderable people: they had, doubtless, been wasted, as the text says, though by what means does not appear from history. On the other hand, it may be observed, that the Midianites, mentioned here, lived close to the Dead sea, at a great distance from the Madian, where Jethro lived, which was near Horeb. Perhaps they were a colony or tribe that had migrated from the vicinity of mount Sinai. It seems that at this time, the Kenites occupied a very strong position; strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock: where there is a play on the original word på kin, which signifies both a Kenite and a nest. High rocks in these countries were generally used as their strong places.

Verse 22. Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive] The Assyrians and Babylonians who carried captive the ten tribes, 2 Kings xvii. 6. and the Jews into Babylon, 2 Kings xxv. probably carried away the Kenites also. Indeed this seems pretty evident, as we find some Kenites mentioned among the Jews, after their return from the Babylonish captivity, 1 Chron. ii. 55.

Verse 23. Who shall live when God doeth this!] There are two senses in which these words may be taken; 1. That the event is so distant, that none then alive could possibly live to see it. 2. That the times would be so distressing and desolating, that scarcely any should be able to escape. The words are very similar to those of our Lord, and probably are to be taken in the same sense: "Wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days."

Verse 24. Ships shall come from the coast of Chittim] Some think by Chittim the Romans, others the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, are meant. It is certain that the Romans did conquer the Assyrians, including all the people of Syria, Mesopotamia, &c. but Calmet strongly contends that by Chittim, Macedonia is meant; and that the prophecy refers to the conquests of Alexander. Chittim was one of the sons of Javan, the son of Japhet, the son of Noah, Gen. x. 4. and his posterity, according to Josephus, Antiq. 1. iii. c. 22. settled in Cilicia, Macedonia, Cyprus, and Italy also; and therefore, says Mr. Ainsworth, the prophecy may imply both the troubles that befell the Assyrians and Jews by the Greeks and Seleucidæ, in the troubious days of Antiochus.

And shall afflict Eber] Probably not the Hebrews, as some think, but the people on the other side the Euphrates, from y abar, to pass over, go beyond-all which people were discomfited, and their empire destroyed by Alexan

CHAPTER XXV.

While Israel abode in Shittim, the people commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, 1. They become idolaters, 2 The anger of the Lord is kindled against them, and he commands the ringleaders to be hanged, 3, 4. Moses causes the judges to stay the transgressors, 5. Zimri, one of the Israelitish princes of the tribe of Simeon, brings a Midianitish princess, named Cozbi, into his tent, while the people are deploring their iniquity before the tabernacle, 6. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, incensed by this insult to the laws and worship of God, runs after them and pierces them both with a javelin, 7, 8. Twenty-four thousand die of the plague, sent as a punishment for their iniquity, 9. The Lord grants Phinchas a covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood, 10-13. The name and quality of the Isra elitish man and Midianitish woman, 14, 15. God commands the Israelites to vex and smite the Midianites, who had seduced them to the worship of Baal-peor, 16-18. b

40.

ND Israel abode in Shittim, and An Exo Iar. the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

y Gen. 10. 4. Dan. 11. 30.-z Gen. 10. 21, 25-a See Ch. 31. 8.-b Ch. 33. 49. Josh 2.1. Mic. 6. 5.-e Ch. 31. 16. 1 Cor. 10. 8.

wished to curse Israel, when he found they were the servants of the true God.

6. That it is possible he did not know this at first. Balak told him that there was a numerous people come out of Egypt; and as marauders, wandering hordes, freebooters, &c. were frequent in those days, he might take them at first for such spoilers; and the more readily go at Balak's request to consult God concerning them. 7. That so conscientiously did he act in the whole business, that as soon as he found that it displeased God, he cheerfully offered to return; and did not advance, till he had not only the permission, but the authority of God to proceed. 8. That when he came in view of the Israelitish camp, he did not attempt to make use of any means of sorcery, evocation of spirits, necromantic spells, &c. to accomplish the wish of Balak.

9. That he did seek to find out the will of the true God, by using those means which God himself had prescribed, viz. supplication and prayer, and the sacrifice of clean beasts.

10. That though he knew it would greatly displease Balak, yet he most faithfully and firmly told him all that God said on every occasion.

11. That notwithstanding his allowed covetous disposition, yet he refused all promised honours, and proffered rewards, even of the most extensive kind, to induce him to act in any respect contrary to the declared will of God.

12. That God, on this occasion, communicated to him some of the most extraordinary prophetic influences ever conferred on man.

13. That his prophecies are, upon the whole, clear and pointed, and have been fulfilled in the most remarkable manner; and furnish a very strong argument in proof of Divine revelation.

14. That notwithstanding the wicked counsel given to the Midianites, the effects of which are mentioned in the following chapter, on which account he probably lost his life, chap. xxxi. 8. the badness of this man's character has been very far overrated; and that it does not appear that he was either a hypocrite, false prophet, or a sorcerer, in the common acceptation of the term, and that he risked even life itself in following and fulfilling the will of the Lord.

der the Great.

THOUGH the notes in the preceding chapters have been extended to a considerable length, yet a few additional remarks may be necessary: the reader's attention is earnestly requested to the following propositions.

1. It appears sufficiently evident from the preceding account, that Balaam knew and worshipped the true God. 2. That he had been a true prophet, and appears to have been in the habit of receiving oracles from God.

3. That he practised some illicit branches of knowledge, or was reputed by the Moabites as a sorcerer-probably because of the high reputation he had for wisdom-and we know that even in our own country, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, persons who excelled their contemporaries in wisdom, were reputed as magicians.

4. That though he was a believer in the true God, yet he was covetous-he loved the wages of unrighteousness. 5. That it does not appear that in the case before us, he

16. I would therefore simply say, that the counsel given by Balaam to Balak might have been, "to form alliances with this people, especially through the medium of matrimonial connexions; and seeing they could not conquer them to endeavour to make them their friends." Now, though this might not be designed by Balaam to bring them into a snare; yet it was a bad doctrine, as it led to the corruption of the holy seed, and to an unequal yoking with unbelievers; which, though even in a matrimonial way, is as contrary to sound policy, as to the word of God.-See the notes on chap. xxv. 3. and 6.

17. That it was the Moabitish women, not Balaam, that called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and it argued great degeneracy and iniquity in the hearts of the people, on so slight an invitation, to join so suddenly in so impure a worship, and so speedily to cast off the whole form of godliness, with every portion of the fear of the Almighty: therefore the high blame rests ultimately with themselves.

a

2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

C

3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, 'that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.

6 And behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. Som the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

a Josh. 22. 17. Psa. 106. 28. Hos. 9. 10.-b Exod. 34. 15, 16. 1 Cor. 10. 20.- Exod. 20. 5-d Paa. 105 29-e Deut. 4. 3. Josh. 22 17.-f Ver. 11. Deut. 13. 17.-g Exod. 18. 21, 25.-h Exod. 32 27. Deut. 13. 6, 9, 13, 15-i Joel 2. 17.-k Psa. 106. 30. Ecclus. 45. 23. 1 Mac. 2 54.-1 Exod. 6. 25-m Psa 106. 30.-n Deut. 4. 3. 1 Cor. 10. 8.-0 Psa. 106, 30. Ecclus. 45 23.-p Heb. with my zeal: See 2 Cor. 11. 2

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXV.

Verse 3. Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor] The same as the Priapus of the Romans, and worshipped with the same obscene rites, as we have frequently had occasion to remark. The joining to Baal-peor, mentioned here, was probably what St. Paul had in view when he said, 2 Cor. vi. 14. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And this joining, though done even in a matrimonial way, was nevertheless fornication, see Rev. ii. 14. as no marriage between an Israelite and a Midianite could be legitimate, according to the law of God. See the propositions at the close of the preceding chapter.

Verse 4. Take all the heads of the people, &c.] Meaning the chiefs of those who had transgressed: as if he had said, "Assemble the chiefs and judges, institute an inquiry concerning the transgressors, and hang them who shall be found guilty before the Lord, as a matter required by his justice.' Against the sun-in the most public manner, and in day-light.

Dr. Kennicott has remarked, that the Samaritan and Hebrew texts must be both taken together to make the sense here complete. And the Lord said unto Moses, SPEAK unto all the heads of the people; AND LET THEM SLAY THE MEN THAT WERE JOINED TO BAAL-PEOR; and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, &c.

Verse 5. Slay ye every one his men] In the different departments where you preside over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, slay all the culprits that shall be found.

Verse 6. One of the children of Israel] Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief family in the tribe of Simeon, ver. 14. brought a Mulianitish woman-Cozbi, daughter of Zur, head over a people of one of the chief families in Midian, ver. 15. The condition of these two persons plainly proves it to have been a matrimonial alliance-the one was a prince the other a princess-therefore I must conclude, that fornication or whoredom, in the common sense of the word, was not practised on this occasion. The matter was bad enough, as the marriage was in flat opposition to the law of God: and we need not make it worse by representing the woman as a common prostitute, as the Vulgate and several others have done. In such a case this is absolutely inadmissible. Josephus positively says that Zimri had married Cozbi, Antiq. 1. iv. chap. 6. and if he had not said so, still the thing is nearly self-evident.-See the conclusion of chap. xxiv.

The children of Israel were weeping] This aggravated the crime, because the people were then in a state of great humiliation because of the late impure and illegal transactions. Verse 8 Thrust both of them through] Inspired, undoubtedly, by the Spirit of the God of justice to do this act, which can never be a precedent in any common occasion. An act something similar occurs in our own history. In 1381, in the minority of Richard II. a most formidable insurrection took place in Kent and Essex; about 100,000 men, chiefly under the direction of Wat Tyler, seized on London, massacred multitudes of innocent people, and were proceeding to the greatest enormities: when the king

13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 18 For they vex you with their wiles, whereq Exod. 20. 5. Deut. 32 16, 21 1 Kings 14. 22. Psa. 79. 58. Ezek. 16. 3. Zeph. 1. 13. & 3.8-r Mal. 2. 4, 5. & 3. 1. Ecclus 45. 24. 1 Mac. 2 54.-a See 1 Chron. & 4, &c.-t Exod. 40. 15. Ecelus. 45. 24-u Acts 22 3. Rom. 10. 2- Hebr. 2 17. w Heb. house of a father.-x Ch. 31. 8. Josh. 13. 21.-y Ch. 31. 2-z Ch. 31. 16. Rev. 2. 11.

requiring a conference in Smithfield with the rebel leader, Sir William Walworth, then mayor of London, provoked at the insolence with which Tyler behaved to his sovereign, knocked him off his horse with his mace, after which he was instantly despatched. While his partizans were bending their bows to revenge the death of their leader, Richard, then only sixteen years of age, rode up to them, and with great courage and presence of mind thus addressed them, "What, my people, will you kill your king? be not concerned for the death of your leader-follow me, and I will be your general."-They were suddenly appeased, and the rebellion terminated. The action of Sir William Walworth was that of a zealot, of essential benefit at the time; and justified only by the pressing exigencies of the case,

Verse 9. Those that died-were twenty-four thousand.] St. Paul, 1 Cor. x. 8. reckons only twenty-three thousand; although some MSS. and Versions, particularly the latter Syriac, and the Armenian have twenty-four thousand, with the Hebrew text. Allowing the 24,000 to be the genuine reading, and none of the Hebrew MSS. exhibit any various reading here, the two places may be reconciled thus: 1000 men were slain in consequence of the examination instituted ver. 4. and 23,000 in consequence of the orders given, ver. 5. making 24,000 in the whole. St. Paul probably refers only to the latter number.

Verse 12, 13. My covenant of peace-of an everlasting priesthood] As the word peace implied all kinds of blessings, both spiritual and temporal; it may mean no more here than the promise of God, to grant him and his family the utmost prosperity in reference to both worlds. The everlasting priesthood refers properly to the priesthood of Christ, which was shadowed out by the priesthood under the law; no matter in what family it was continued. Therefore they nan cehunnath ôlem, or eternal priesthood, does not merely refer to any sacerdotal ministrations which should be continued in the family of Phinehas, during the Mosaic dispensation: but to that priesthood of Christ, typi fied by that of Aaron and his successors. The priesthood alone is everlasting; and a covenant or grant of that was made to Phinehas and his descendants. The Jews reckon 12 high priests of the race of Phinehas, from this time to the days of Solomon-9 more from that time to the captivity, see 1 Chron. vi. 4. 15. and 15 from their return to the time of Antiochus Eupator, the last of whom was Onias, slain by Lysias. Ezra, the great priest and scribe, was of this line, Ezra vii. 1, 5. The family of Ithamar, uncle of Phinehas, had the priesthood for about 150 years; but it was restored to the family of Phinehas in the person of Zadok the priest, I Chron. vi. 50. in which it continued, in the whole, about 950 years. Probably the Maccabees were of the same family: but though this is not certain, there is no evidence against it. See Calmet: God therefore sutfciently fulfilled his promise: he gave to him and his descendants, almost the utmost temporal length that could be given of that priesthood, which is, in its own nature, eternal. Here then, the word by ôlam means, not a limited time, but what is eternal in its duration. See the note on Gen. xxi. 33.