<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 4</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.4.1-Deut.4.13">De 4:1-13</reference>. An Exhortation to Obedience.</title>

1. hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I <hi type="bold">teach you--</hi>By statutes were meant all ordinances respecting religion and the rites of divine worship; and by judgments, all enactments relative to civil matters. The two embraced the whole law of God.

CHAPTER 4 De 4:1-13. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you-- By statutes were meant all ordinances respecting religion and the rites of divine worship; and by judgments, all enactments relative to civil matters. The two embraced the whole law of God.


<hi type="bold">2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you--</hi>by the introduction of any heathen superstition or forms of worship different from those which I have appointed (<reference osisRef="Deut.12.32">De 12:32</reference>; <reference osisRef="Num.15.39">Nu 15:39</reference>; <reference osisRef="Matt.15.9">Mt 15:9</reference>).

<hi type="bold">neither shall ye diminish aught from it--</hi>by the neglect or omission of any of the observances, however trivial or irksome, which I have prescribed. The character and provisions of the ancient dispensation were adapted with divine wisdom to the instruction of that infant state of the church. But it was only a temporary economy; and although God here authorizes Moses to command that all its institutions should be honored with unfailing observance, this did not prevent Him from commissioning other prophets to alter or abrogate them when the end of that dispensation was attained.

2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you-- by the introduction of any heathen superstition or forms of worship different from those which I have appointed (De 12:32; Nu 15:39; Mt 15:9). neither shall ye diminish aught from it-- by the neglect or omission of any of the observances, however trivial or irksome, which I have prescribed. The character and provisions of the ancient dispensation were adapted with divine wisdom to the instruction of that infant state of the church. But it was only a temporary economy; and although God here authorizes Moses to command that all its institutions should be honored with unfailing observance, this did not prevent Him from commissioning other prophets to alter or abrogate them when the end of that dispensation was attained.


<hi type="bold">3-4. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor ... the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you--</hi>It appears that the pestilence and the sword of justice overtook only the guilty in that affair (<reference osisRef="Num.25.1-Num.25.9">Nu 25:1-9</reference>) while the rest of the people were spared. The allusion to that recent and appalling judgment was seasonably made as a powerful dissuasive against idolatry, and the fact mentioned was calculated to make a deep impression on people who knew and felt the truth of it.

3-4. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor... the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you-- It appears that the pestilence and the sword of justice overtook only the guilty in that affair (Nu 25:1-9) while the rest of the people were spared. The allusion to that recent and appalling judgment was seasonably made as a powerful dissuasive against idolatry, and the fact mentioned was calculated to make a deep impression on people who knew and felt the truth of it.


<hi type="bold">5-6. this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes--</hi>Moses predicted that the faithful observance of the laws given them would raise their national character for intelligence and wisdom. In point of fact it did do so; for although the heathen world generally ridiculed the Hebrews for what they considered a foolish and absurd exclusiveness, some of the most eminent philosophers expressed the highest admiration of the fundamental principle in the Jewish religion--the unity of God; and their legislators borrowed some laws from the constitution of the Hebrews.

5-6. this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes-- Moses predicted that the faithful observance of the laws given them would raise their national character for intelligence and wisdom. In point of fact it did do so; for although the heathen world generally ridiculed the Hebrews for what they considered a foolish and absurd exclusiveness, some of the most eminent philosophers expressed the highest admiration of the fundamental principle in the Jewish religion--the unity of God; and their legislators borrowed some laws from the constitution of the Hebrews.


<hi type="bold">7-9. what nation is there so great--</hi>Here he represents their privileges and their duty in such significant and comprehensive terms, as were peculiarly calculated to arrest their attention and engage their interest. The former, their national advantages, are described (<reference osisRef="Deut.4.7">De 4:7</reference>, <reference osisRef="Deut.4.8">8</reference>), and they were twofold: 1. God's readiness to hear and aid them at all times; and 2. the excellence of that religion in which they were instructed, set forth in the "statutes and judgments so righteous" which the law of Moses contained. Their duty corresponding to these pre-eminent advantages as a people, was also twofold: 1. their own faithful obedience to that law; and 2. their obligation to imbue the minds of the young and rising generation with similar sentiments of reverence and respect for it.

7-9. what nation is there so great-- Here he represents their privileges and their duty in such significant and comprehensive terms, as were peculiarly calculated to arrest their attention and engage their interest. The former, their national advantages, are described (De 4:7, 8), and they were twofold: 1. God's readiness to hear and aid them at all times; and 2. the excellence of that religion in which they were instructed, set forth in the "statutes and judgments so righteous" which the law of Moses contained. Their duty corresponding to these pre-eminent advantages as a people, was also twofold: 1. their own faithful obedience to that law; and 2. their obligation to imbue the minds of the young and rising generation with similar sentiments of reverence and respect for it.


<hi type="bold">10. the day that thou stoodest before the Lord ... in Horeb--</hi>The delivery of the law from Sinai was an era never to be forgotten in the history of Israel. Some of those whom Moses was addressing had been present, though very young; while the rest were federally represented by their parents, who in their name and for their interest entered into the national covenant.

10. the day that thou stoodest before the Lord... in Horeb-- The delivery of the law from Sinai was an era never to be forgotten in the history of Israel. Some of those whom Moses was addressing had been present, though very young; while the rest were federally represented by their parents, who in their name and for their interest entered into the national covenant.


<hi type="bold">12. ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude--</hi>Although articulate sounds were heard emanating from the mount, no form or representation of the Divine Being who spoke was seen to indicate His nature or properties according to the notions of the heathen.

12. ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude-- Although articulate sounds were heard emanating from the mount, no form or representation of the Divine Being who spoke was seen to indicate His nature or properties according to the notions of the heathen.


<title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.4.14-Deut.4.40">De 4:14-40</reference>. A Particular Dissuasive against Idolatry.</title>

<hi type="bold">15. Take ... good heed ... for ye saw no manner of similitude--</hi>The extreme proneness of the Israelites to idolatry, from their position in the midst of surrounding nations already abandoned to its seductions, accounts for their attention being repeatedly drawn to the fact that God did not appear on Sinai in any visible form; and an earnest caution, founded on that remarkable circumstance, is given to beware, not only of making representations of false gods, but also any fancied representation of the true God.

De 4:14-40. A Particular Dissuasive against Idolatry. 15. Take... good heed... for ye saw no manner of similitude-- The extreme proneness of the Israelites to idolatry, from their position in the midst of surrounding nations already abandoned to its seductions, accounts for their attention being repeatedly drawn to the fact that God did not appear on Sinai in any visible form; and an earnest caution, founded on that remarkable circumstance, is given to beware, not only of making representations of false gods, but also any fancied representation of the true God.


<hi type="bold">16-19. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image--</hi>The things are here specified of which God prohibited any image or representation to be made for the purposes of worship; and, from the variety of details entered into, an idea may be formed of the extensive prevalence of idolatry in that age. In whatever way idolatry originated, whether from an intention to worship the true God through those things which seemed to afford the strongest evidences of His power, or whether a divine principle was supposed to reside in the things themselves, there was scarcely an element or object of nature but was deified. This was particularly the case with the Canaanites and Egyptians, against whose superstitious practices the caution, no doubt, was chiefly directed. The former worshipped Baal and Astarte, the latter Osiris and Isis, under the figure of a male and a female. It was in Egypt that animal-worship most prevailed, for the natives of that country deified among beasts the ox, the heifer, the sheep, and the goat, the dog, the cat, and the ape; among birds, the ibis, the hawk, and the crane; among reptiles, the crocodile, the frog, and the beetle; among fishes, all the fish of the Nile; some of these, as Osiris and Isis, were worshipped over all Egypt, the others only in particular provinces. In addition they embraced the Zabian superstition, the adoration of the Egyptians, in common with that of many other people, extending to the whole starry host. The very circumstantial details here given of the Canaanitish and Egyptian idolatry were owing to the past and prospective familiarity of the Israelites with it in all these forms.

16-19. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image-- The things are here specified of which God prohibited any image or representation to be made for the purposes of worship; and, from the variety of details entered into, an idea may be formed of the extensive prevalence of idolatry in that age. In whatever way idolatry originated, whether from an intention to worship the true God through those things which seemed to afford the strongest evidences of His power, or whether a divine principle was supposed to reside in the things themselves, there was scarcely an element or object of nature but was deified. This was particularly the case with the Canaanites and Egyptians, against whose superstitious practices the caution, no doubt, was chiefly directed. The former worshipped Baal and Astarte, the latter Osiris and Isis, under the figure of a male and a female. It was in Egypt that animal-worship most prevailed, for the natives of that country deified among beasts the ox, the heifer, the sheep, and the goat, the dog, the cat, and the ape; among birds, the ibis, the hawk, and the crane; among reptiles, the crocodile, the frog, and the beetle; among fishes, all the fish of the Nile; some of these, as Osiris and Isis, were worshipped over all Egypt, the others only in particular provinces. In addition they embraced the Zabian superstition, the adoration of the Egyptians, in common with that of many other people, extending to the whole starry host. The very circumstantial details here given of the Canaanitish and Egyptian idolatry were owing to the past and prospective familiarity of the Israelites with it in all these forms.


<hi type="bold">20. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace--</hi>that is, furnace for smelting iron. A furnace of this kind is round, sometimes thirty feet deep, and requiring the highest intensity of heat. Such is the tremendous image chosen to represent the bondage and affliction of the Israelites [Rosenmuller].

<hi type="bold">to be unto him a people of inheritance--</hi>His peculiar possession from age to age; and therefore for you to abandon His worship for that of idols, especially the gross and debasing system of idolatry that prevails among the Egyptians, would be the greatest folly--the blackest ingratitude.

20. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace-- that is, furnace for smelting iron. A furnace of this kind is round, sometimes thirty feet deep, and requiring the highest intensity of heat. Such is the tremendous image chosen to represent the bondage and affliction of the Israelites [Rosenmuller]. to be unto him a people of inheritance-- His peculiar possession from age to age; and therefore for you to abandon His worship for that of idols, especially the gross and debasing system of idolatry that prevails among the Egyptians, would be the greatest folly--the blackest ingratitude.


<hi type="bold">26. I call heaven and earth to witness against you--</hi>This solemn form of adjuration has been common in special circumstances among all people. It is used here figuratively, or as in other parts of Scripture where inanimate objects are called up as witnesses (<reference osisRef="Deut.32.1">De 32:1</reference>; <reference osisRef="Isa.1.2">Is 1:2</reference>).

26. I call heaven and earth to witness against you-- This solemn form of adjuration has been common in special circumstances among all people. It is used here figuratively, or as in other parts of Scripture where inanimate objects are called up as witnesses (De 32:1; Is 1:2).


<hi type="bold">28. there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands--</hi>The compulsory measures of their tyrannical conquerors would force them into idolatry, so that their choice would become their punishment.

28. there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands-- The compulsory measures of their tyrannical conquerors would force them into idolatry, so that their choice would become their punishment.


<hi type="bold">30. in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God--</hi>either towards the destined close of their captivities, when they evinced a returning spirit of repentance and faith, or in the age of Messiah, which is commonly called "the latter days," and when the scattered tribes of Israel shall be converted to the Gospel of Christ. The occurrence of this auspicious event will be the most illustrious proof of the truth of the promise made in <reference osisRef="Deut.4.31">De 4:31</reference>.

30. in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God-- either towards the destined close of their captivities, when they evinced a returning spirit of repentance and faith, or in the age of Messiah, which is commonly called "the latter days," and when the scattered tribes of Israel shall be converted to the Gospel of Christ. The occurrence of this auspicious event will be the most illustrious proof of the truth of the promise made in De 4:31.


<hi type="bold">41-43. Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan--</hi>(See on <reference osisRef="Josh.20.7">Jos 20:7</reference>).

41-43. Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan-- (See on Jos 20:7).


<hi type="bold">44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel--</hi>This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.

44-49. this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel-- This is a preface to the rehearsal of the law, which, with the addition of various explanatory circumstances, the following chapters contain.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 5</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.5.1-Deut.5.29">De 5:1-29</reference>. A Commemoration of the Covenant in Horeb.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments--</hi>Whether this rehearsal of the law was made in a solemn assembly, or as some think at a general meeting of the elders as representatives of the people, is of little moment; it was addressed either directly or indirectly to the Hebrew people as principles of their peculiar constitution as a nation; and hence, as has been well observed, "the Jewish law has no obligation upon Christians, unless so much of it as given or commanded by Jesus Christ; for whatever in this law is conformable to the laws of nature, obliges us, not as given by Moses, but by virtue of an antecedent law common to all rational beings" [Bishop Wilson].

CHAPTER 5 De 5:1-29. A Commemoration of the Covenant in Horeb. 1. Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments-- Whether this rehearsal of the law was made in a solemn assembly, or as some think at a general meeting of the elders as representatives of the people, is of little moment; it was addressed either directly or indirectly to the Hebrew people as principles of their peculiar constitution as a nation; and hence, as has been well observed, "the Jewish law has no obligation upon Christians, unless so much of it as given or commanded by Jesus Christ; for whatever in this law is conformable to the laws of nature, obliges us, not as given by Moses, but by virtue of an antecedent law common to all rational beings" [Bishop Wilson].


<hi type="bold">3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us--</hi>The meaning is, "not with our fathers" only, "but with us" also, assuming it to be "a covenant" of grace. It may mean "not with our fathers" at all, if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the covenant of Sinai; a law was not given to them as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same public manner and by the same solemn sanctions. Or, finally, the meaning may be "not with our fathers" who died in the wilderness, in consequence of their rebellion, and to whom God did not give the rewards promised only to the faithful; but "with us," who alone, strictly speaking, shall enjoy the benefits of this covenant by entering on the possession of the promised land.

3. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us-- The meaning is, "not with our fathers" only, "but with us" also, assuming it to be "a covenant" of grace. It may mean "not with our fathers" at all, if the reference is to the peculiar establishment of the covenant of Sinai; a law was not given to them as to us, nor was the covenant ratified in the same public manner and by the same solemn sanctions. Or, finally, the meaning may be "not with our fathers" who died in the wilderness, in consequence of their rebellion, and to whom God did not give the rewards promised only to the faithful; but "with us," who alone, strictly speaking, shall enjoy the benefits of this covenant by entering on the possession of the promised land.


<hi type="bold">4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount--</hi>not in a visible and corporeal form, of which there was no trace (<reference osisRef="Deut.4.12">De 4:12</reference>, <reference osisRef="Deut.4.15">15</reference>), but freely, familiarly, and in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.

4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount-- not in a visible and corporeal form, of which there was no trace (De 4:12, 15), but freely, familiarly, and in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of His presence.


<hi type="bold">5. I stood between the Lord and you at that time--</hi>as the messenger and interpreter of thy heavenly King, bringing near two objects formerly removed from each other at a vast distance, namely, God and the people (<reference osisRef="Gal.3.19">Ga 3:19</reference>). In this character Moses was a type of Christ, who is the only mediator between God and men (<reference osisRef="1Tim.2.5">1Ti 2:5</reference>), the Mediator of a better covenant (<reference osisRef="Heb.8.6">He 8:6</reference>; <reference osisRef="Heb.9.15">9:15</reference>; <reference osisRef="Heb.12.24">12:24</reference>).

<hi type="bold">to show you the word of the Lord--</hi>not the ten commandments--for they were proclaimed directly by the Divine Speaker Himself, but the statutes and judgments which are repeated in the subsequent portion of this book.

5. I stood between the Lord and you at that time-- as the messenger and interpreter of thy heavenly King, bringing near two objects formerly removed from each other at a vast distance, namely, God and the people (Ga 3:19). In this character Moses was a type of Christ, who is the only mediator between God and men (1Ti 2:5), the Mediator of a better covenant (He 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). to show you the word of the Lord-- not the ten commandments--for they were proclaimed directly by the Divine Speaker Himself, but the statutes and judgments which are repeated in the subsequent portion of this book.


<hi type="bold">6-20. I am the Lord thy God--</hi>The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on <reference osisRef="Exod.20.2">Ex 20:2</reference>.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (<reference osisRef="Exod.20.1-Exod.20.17">Ex 20:1-17</reference>), and in some of them there is a distinct reference to that promulgation.

6-20. I am the Lord thy God-- The word "Lord" is expressive of authority or dominion; and God, who by natural claim as well as by covenant relation was entitled to exercise supremacy over His people Israel, had a sovereign right to establish laws for their government. [See on Ex 20:2.] The commandments which follow are, with a few slight verbal alterations, the same as formerly recorded (Ex 20:1-17), and in some of them there is a distinct reference to that promulgation.


<hi type="bold">21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, ... house, his field--</hi>An alteration is here made in the words (see <reference osisRef="Exod.20.17">Ex 20:17</reference>), but it is so slight ("wife" being put in the first clause and "house" in the second) that it would not have been worth while noticing it, except that the interchange proves, contrary to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one and the same commandment.

21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife,... house, his field-- An alteration is here made in the words (see Ex 20:17), but it is so slight ("wife" being put in the first clause and "house" in the second) that it would not have been worth while noticing it, except that the interchange proves, contrary to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one and the same commandment.


<hi type="bold">22. he added no more--</hi>(<reference osisRef="Exod.20.1">Ex 20:1</reference>). The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly: other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the instrumentality of Moses.

22. he added no more-- (Ex 20:1). The pre-eminence of these ten commandments was shown in God's announcing them directly: other laws and institutions were communicated to the people through the instrumentality of Moses.


<hi type="bold">23-28. And ... ye came near unto me--</hi>(See on <reference osisRef="Exod.20.19">Ex 20:19</reference>).

23-28. And... ye came near unto me-- (See on Ex 20:19).


<hi type="bold">29. Oh, that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me--</hi>God can bestow such a heart, and has promised to give it, wherever it is asked (<reference osisRef="Jer.32.40">Jr 32:40</reference>). But the wish which is here expressed on the part of God for the piety and steadfast obedience of the Israelites did not relate to them as individuals, so much as a nation, whose religious character and progress would have a mighty influence on the world at large. <chapter eID="Deut.5"/>

29. Oh, that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me-- God can bestow such a heart, and has promised to give it, wherever it is asked (Jr 32:40). But the wish which is here expressed on the part of God for the piety and steadfast obedience of the Israelites did not relate to them as individuals, so much as a nation, whose religious character and progress would have a mighty influence on the world at large.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 6</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.6.1-Deut.6.25">De 6:1-25</reference>. Moses Exhorts Israel to Hear God and to Keep His Commandments.</title>

<hi type="bold">1-9. Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them ... whither ye go to possess it--</hi>The grand design of all the institutions prescribed to Israel was to form a religious people, whose national character should be distinguished by that fear of the Lord their God which would ensure their divine observance of His worship and their steadfast obedience to His will. The basis of their religion was an acknowledgment of the unity of God with the understanding and the love of God in the heart (<reference osisRef="Deut.6.4">De 6:4</reference>, <reference osisRef="Deut.6.5">5</reference>). Compared with the religious creed of all their contemporaries, how sound in principle, how elevated in character, how unlimited in the extent of its moral influence on the heart and habits of the people! Indeed, it is precisely the same basis on which rests the purer and more spiritual form of it which Christianity exhibits (<reference osisRef="Matt.22.37">Mt 22:37</reference>; <reference osisRef="Mark.12.30">Mr 12:30</reference>; <reference osisRef="Luke.10.27">Lu 10:27</reference>). Moreover, to help in keeping a sense of religion in their minds, it was commanded that its great principles should be carried about with them wherever they went, as well as meet their eyes every time they entered their homes. A further provision was made for the earnest inculcation of them on the minds of the young by a system of parental training, which was designed to associate religion with all the most familiar and oft-recurring scenes of domestic life. It is probable that Moses used the phraseology in <reference osisRef="Deut.6.7">De 6:7</reference> merely in a figurative way, to signify assiduous, earnest, and frequent instruction; and perhaps he meant the metaphorical language in <reference osisRef="Deut.6.8">De 6:8</reference> to be taken in the same sense also. But as the Israelites interpreted it literally, many writers suppose that a reference was made to a superstitious custom borrowed from the Egyptians, who wore jewels and ornamental trinkets on the forehead and arm, inscribed with certain words and sentences, as amulets to protect them from danger. These, it has been conjectured, Moses intended to supersede by substituting sentences of the law; and so the Hebrews understood him, for they have always considered the wearing of the Tephilim, or frontlets, a permanent obligation. The form was as follows: Four pieces of parchment, inscribed, the first with <reference osisRef="Exod.13.2-Exod.13.10">Ex 13:2-10</reference>; the second with <reference osisRef="Exod.13.11-Exod.13.16">Ex 13:11-16</reference>; the third with <reference osisRef="Deut.6.1-Deut.6.8">De 6:1-8</reference>; and the fourth with <reference osisRef="Deut.11.18-Deut.11.21">De 11:18-21</reference>, were enclosed in a square case or box of tough skin, on the side of which was placed the Hebrew letter (shin), and bound round the forehead with a thong or ribbon. When designed for the arms, those four texts were written on one slip of parchment, which, as well as the ink, was carefully prepared for the purpose. With regard to the other usage supposed to be alluded to, the ancient Egyptians had the lintels and imposts of their doors and gates inscribed with sentences indicative of a favorable omen [Wilkinson]; and this is still the case, for in Egypt and other Mohammedan countries, the front doors of houses (in Cairo, for instance) are painted red, white, and green, bearing conspicuously inscribed upon them such sentences from the Koran, as "God is the Creator," "God is one, and Mohammed is his prophet." Moses designed to turn this ancient and favorite custom to a better account and ordered that, instead of the former superstitious inscriptions, there should be written the words of God, persuading and enjoining the people to hold the laws in perpetual remembrance.

CHAPTER 6 De 6:1-25. Moses Exhorts Israel to Hear God and to Keep His Commandments. 1-9. Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them... whither ye go to possess it-- The grand design of all the institutions prescribed to Israel was to form a religious people, whose national character should be distinguished by that fear of the Lord their God which would ensure their divine observance of His worship and their steadfast obedience to His will. The basis of their religion was an acknowledgment of the unity of God with the understanding and the love of God in the heart (De 6:4, 5). Compared with the religious creed of all their contemporaries, how sound in principle, how elevated in character, how unlimited in the extent of its moral influence on the heart and habits of the people! Indeed, it is precisely the same basis on which rests the purer and more spiritual form of it which Christianity exhibits (Mt 22:37; Mr 12:30; Lu 10:27). Moreover, to help in keeping a sense of religion in their minds, it was commanded that its great principles should be carried about with them wherever they went, as well as meet their eyes every time they entered their homes. A further provision was made for the earnest inculcation of them on the minds of the young by a system of parental training, which was designed to associate religion with all the most familiar and oft-recurring scenes of domestic life. It is probable that Moses used the phraseology in De 6:7 merely in a figurative way, to signify assiduous, earnest, and frequent instruction; and perhaps he meant the metaphorical language in De 6:8 to be taken in the same sense also. But as the Israelites interpreted it literally, many writers suppose that a reference was made to a superstitious custom borrowed from the Egyptians, who wore jewels and ornamental trinkets on the forehead and arm, inscribed with certain words and sentences, as amulets to protect them from danger. These, it has been conjectured, Moses intended to supersede by substituting sentences of the law; and so the Hebrews understood him, for they have always considered the wearing of the Tephilim, or frontlets, a permanent obligation. The form was as follows: Four pieces of parchment, inscribed, the first with Ex 13:2-10; the second with Ex 13:11-16; the third with De 6:1-8; and the fourth with De 11:18-21, were enclosed in a square case or box of tough skin, on the side of which was placed the Hebrew letter (shin), and bound round the forehead with a thong or ribbon. When designed for the arms, those four texts were written on one slip of parchment, which, as well as the ink, was carefully prepared for the purpose. With regard to the other usage supposed to be alluded to, the ancient Egyptians had the lintels and imposts of their doors and gates inscribed with sentences indicative of a favorable omen [Wilkinson]; and this is still the case, for in Egypt and other Mohammedan countries, the front doors of houses (in Cairo, for instance) are painted red, white, and green, bearing conspicuously inscribed upon them such sentences from the Koran, as "God is the Creator," "God is one, and Mohammed is his prophet." Moses designed to turn this ancient and favorite custom to a better account and ordered that, instead of the former superstitious inscriptions, there should be written the words of God, persuading and enjoining the people to hold the laws in perpetual remembrance.


<hi type="bold">20-25. when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying--</hi>The directions given for the instruction of their children form only an extension of the preceding counsels. <chapter eID="Deut.6"/>

20-25. when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying-- The directions given for the instruction of their children form only an extension of the preceding counsels.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 7</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.7.1-Deut.7.26">De 7:1-26</reference>. All Communion with the Nations Forbidden.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. the Hittites--</hi>This people were descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan (<reference osisRef="Gen.10.15">Ge 10:15</reference>), and occupied the mountainous region about Hebron, in the south of Palestine.

<hi type="bold">the Girgashites--</hi>supposed by some to be the same as the Gergesenes (<reference osisRef="Matt.8.28">Mt 8:28</reference>), who lay to the east of Lake Gennesareth; but they are placed on the west of Jordan (<reference osisRef="Josh.24.11">Jos 24:11</reference>), and others take them for a branch of the large family of the Hivites, as they are omitted in nine out of ten places where the tribes of Canaan are enumerated; in the tenth they are mentioned, while the Hivites are not.

<hi type="bold">the Amorites--</hi>descended from the fourth son of Canaan. They occupied, besides their conquest on the Moabite territory, extensive settlements west of the Dead Sea, in the mountains.

<hi type="bold">the Canaanites--</hi>located in Phoenicia, particularly about Tyre and Sidon, and being sprung from the oldest branch of the family of Canaan, bore his name.

<hi type="bold">the Perizzites--</hi>that is, villagers, a tribe who were dispersed throughout the country and lived in unwalled towns.

<hi type="bold">the Hivites--</hi>who dwelt about Ebal and Gerizim, extending towards Hermon. They are supposed to be the same as the Avims.

<hi type="bold">the Jebusites--</hi>resided about Jerusalem and the adjacent country.

<hi type="bold">seven nations greater and mightier than thou--</hi>Ten were formerly mentioned (<reference osisRef="Gen.15.19-Gen.15.21">Ge 15:19-21</reference>). But in the lapse of near five hundred years, it cannot be surprising that some of them had been extinguished in the many intestine feuds that prevailed among those warlike tribes. It is more than probable that some, stationed on the east of Jordan, had fallen under the victorious arms of the Israelites.

CHAPTER 7 De 7:1-26. All Communion with the Nations Forbidden. 1. the Hittites-- This people were descended from Heth, the second son of Canaan (Ge 10:15), and occupied the mountainous region about Hebron, in the south of Palestine. the Girgashites-- supposed by some to be the same as the Gergesenes (Mt 8:28), who lay to the east of Lake Gennesareth; but they are placed on the west of Jordan (Jos 24:11), and others take them for a branch of the large family of the Hivites, as they are omitted in nine out of ten places where the tribes of Canaan are enumerated; in the tenth they are mentioned, while the Hivites are not. the Amorites-- descended from the fourth son of Canaan. They occupied, besides their conquest on the Moabite territory, extensive settlements west of the Dead Sea, in the mountains. the Canaanites-- located in Phoenicia, particularly about Tyre and Sidon, and being sprung from the oldest branch of the family of Canaan, bore his name. the Perizzites-- that is, villagers, a tribe who were dispersed throughout the country and lived in unwalled towns. the Hivites-- who dwelt about Ebal and Gerizim, extending towards Hermon. They are supposed to be the same as the Avims. the Jebusites-- resided about Jerusalem and the adjacent country. seven nations greater and mightier than thou-- Ten were formerly mentioned (Ge 15:19-21). But in the lapse of near five hundred years, it cannot be surprising that some of them had been extinguished in the many intestine feuds that prevailed among those warlike tribes. It is more than probable that some, stationed on the east of Jordan, had fallen under the victorious arms of the Israelites.


<hi type="bold">2-6. thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them--</hi>This relentless doom of extermination which God denounced against those tribes of Canaan cannot be reconciled with the attributes of the divine character, except on the assumption that their gross idolatry and enormous wickedness left no reasonable hope of their repentance and amendment. If they were to be swept away like the antediluvians or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, as incorrigible sinners who had filled up the measure of their iniquities, it mattered not to them in what way the judgment was inflicted; and God, as the Sovereign Disposer, had a right to employ any instruments that pleased Him for executing His judgments. Some think that they were to be exterminated as unprincipled usurpers of a country which God had assigned to the posterity of Eber and which had been occupied ages before by wandering shepherds of that race, till, on the migration of Jacob's family into Egypt through the pressure of famine, the Canaanites overspread the whole land, though they had no legitimate claim to it, and endeavored to retain possession of it by force. In this view their expulsion was just and proper. The strict prohibition against contracting any alliances with such infamous idolaters was a prudential rule, founded on the experience that "evil communications corrupt good manners" [1Co 15:33], and its importance or necessity was attested by the unhappy examples of Solomon and others in the subsequent history of Israel.

2-6. thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them-- This relentless doom of extermination which God denounced against those tribes of Canaan cannot be reconciled with the attributes of the divine character, except on the assumption that their gross idolatry and enormous wickedness left no reasonable hope of their repentance and amendment. If they were to be swept away like the antediluvians or the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, as incorrigible sinners who had filled up the measure of their iniquities, it mattered not to them in what way the judgment was inflicted; and God, as the Sovereign Disposer, had a right to employ any instruments that pleased Him for executing His judgments. Some think that they were to be exterminated as unprincipled usurpers of a country which God had assigned to the posterity of Eber and which had been occupied ages before by wandering shepherds of that race, till, on the migration of Jacob's family into Egypt through the pressure of famine, the Canaanites overspread the whole land, though they had no legitimate claim to it, and endeavored to retain possession of it by force. In this view their expulsion was just and proper. The strict prohibition against contracting any alliances with such infamous idolaters was a prudential rule, founded on the experience that "evil communications corrupt good manners" [1Co 15:33], and its importance or necessity was attested by the unhappy examples of Solomon and others in the subsequent history of Israel.


<hi type="bold">11-26. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day--</hi>In the covenant into which God entered with Israel, He promised to bestow upon them a variety of blessings so long as they continued obedient to Him as their heavenly King. He pledged His veracity that His infinite perfections would be exerted for this purpose, as well as for delivering them from every evil to which, as a people, they would be exposed. That people accordingly were truly happy as a nation, and found every promise which the faithful God made to them amply fulfilled, so long as they adhered to that obedience which was required of them. See a beautiful illustration of this in <reference osisRef="Ps.144.12-Ps.144.15">Psa 144:12-15</reference>.

11-26. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day-- In the covenant into which God entered with Israel, He promised to bestow upon them a variety of blessings so long as they continued obedient to Him as their heavenly King. He pledged His veracity that His infinite perfections would be exerted for this purpose, as well as for delivering them from every evil to which, as a people, they would be exposed. That people accordingly were truly happy as a nation, and found every promise which the faithful God made to them amply fulfilled, so long as they adhered to that obedience which was required of them. See a beautiful illustration of this in Psa 144:12-15.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 8</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.8.1-Deut.8.20">De 8:1-20</reference>. An Exhortation to Obedience.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live--</hi>In all the wise arrangements of our Creator duty has been made inseparably connected with happiness; and the earnest enforcement of the divine law which Moses was making to the Israelites was in order to secure their being a happy (because a moral and religious) people: a course of prosperity is often called "life" (<reference osisRef="Gen.17.18">Ge 17:18</reference>; <reference osisRef="Prov.3.2">Pr 3:2</reference>).

<hi type="bold">live, and multiply--</hi>This reference to the future increase of their population proves that they were too few to occupy the land fully at first.

CHAPTER 8 De 8:1-20. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live-- In all the wise arrangements of our Creator duty has been made inseparably connected with happiness; and the earnest enforcement of the divine law which Moses was making to the Israelites was in order to secure their being a happy (because a moral and religious) people: a course of prosperity is often called "life" (Ge 17:18; Pr 3:2). live, and multiply-- This reference to the future increase of their population proves that they were too few to occupy the land fully at first.


<hi type="bold">2-3. thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness--</hi>The recapitulation of all their checkered experience during that long period was designed to awaken lively impressions of the goodness of God. First, Moses showed them the object of their protracted wanderings and varied hardships. These were trials of their obedience as well as chastisements for sin. Indeed, the discovery of their infidelity, inconstancy, and their rebellions and perverseness which this varied discipline brought to light, was of eminently practical use to the Israelites themselves, as it has been to the church in all subsequent ages. Next, he enlarged on the goodness of God to them, while reduced to the last extremities of despair, in the miraculous provision which, without anxiety or labor, was made for their daily support (see on <reference osisRef="Exod.16.4">Ex 16:4</reference>). Possessing no nutritious properties inherent in it, this contributed to their sustenance, as indeed all food does (<reference osisRef="Matt.4.4">Mt 4:4</reference>) solely through the ordinance and blessing of God. This remark is applicable to the means of spiritual as well as natural life.

2-3. thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness-- The recapitulation of all their checkered experience during that long period was designed to awaken lively impressions of the goodness of God. First, Moses showed them the object of their protracted wanderings and varied hardships. These were trials of their obedience as well as chastisements for sin. Indeed, the discovery of their infidelity, inconstancy, and their rebellions and perverseness which this varied discipline brought to light, was of eminently practical use to the Israelites themselves, as it has been to the church in all subsequent ages. Next, he enlarged on the goodness of God to them, while reduced to the last extremities of despair, in the miraculous provision which, without anxiety or labor, was made for their daily support (see on Ex 16:4). Possessing no nutritious properties inherent in it, this contributed to their sustenance, as indeed all food does (Mt 4:4) solely through the ordinance and blessing of God. This remark is applicable to the means of spiritual as well as natural life.


<hi type="bold">4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years--</hi>What a striking miracle was this! No doubt the Israelites might have brought from Egypt more clothes than they wore at their outset; they might also have obtained supplies of various articles of food and raiment in barter with the neighboring tribes for the fleeces and skins of their sheep and goats; and in furnishing them with such opportunities the care of Providence appeared. But the strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (see also <reference osisRef="Deut.29.5">De 29:5</reference>) indicate a special or miraculous interposition of their loving Guardian in preserving them amid the wear and tear of their nomadic life in the desert. Thirdly, Moses expatiated on the goodness of the promised land.

4. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years-- What a striking miracle was this! No doubt the Israelites might have brought from Egypt more clothes than they wore at their outset; they might also have obtained supplies of various articles of food and raiment in barter with the neighboring tribes for the fleeces and skins of their sheep and goats; and in furnishing them with such opportunities the care of Providence appeared. But the strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (see also De 29:5) indicate a special or miraculous interposition of their loving Guardian in preserving them amid the wear and tear of their nomadic life in the desert. Thirdly, Moses expatiated on the goodness of the promised land.


<hi type="bold">7. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land--</hi>All accounts, ancient and modern, concur in bearing testimony to the natural beauty and fertility of Palestine, and its great capabilities if properly cultivated.

<hi type="bold">a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills--</hi>These characteristic features are mentioned first, as they would be most striking; and all travellers describe how delightful and cheerful it is, after passing through the barren and thirsty desert, to be among running brooks and swelling hills and verdant valleys. It is observable that water is mentioned as the chief source of its ancient fertility.

7. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land-- All accounts, ancient and modern, concur in bearing testimony to the natural beauty and fertility of Palestine, and its great capabilities if properly cultivated. a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills-- These characteristic features are mentioned first, as they would be most striking; and all travellers describe how delightful and cheerful it is, after passing through the barren and thirsty desert, to be among running brooks and swelling hills and verdant valleys. It is observable that water is mentioned as the chief source of its ancient fertility.


<hi type="bold">8. A land of wheat, and barley--</hi>These cereal fruits were specially promised to the Israelites in the event of their faithful allegiance to the covenant of God (<reference osisRef="Ps.81.16">Psa 81:16</reference>; <reference osisRef="Ps.147.14">147:14</reference>). The wheat and barley were so abundant as to yield sixty and often an hundredfold (<reference osisRef="Gen.26.12">Ge 26:12</reference>; <reference osisRef="Matt.13.8">Mt 13:8</reference>).

<hi type="bold">vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates--</hi>The limestone rocks and abrupt valleys were entirely covered, as traces of them still show, with plantations of figs, vines, and olive trees. Though in a southern latitude, its mountainous formations tempered the excessive heat, and hence, figs, pomegranates, &c., were produced in Palestine equally with wheat and barley, the produce of northern regions.

<hi type="bold">honey--</hi>The word "honey" is used often in a loose, indeterminate sense, very frequently to signify a syrup of dates or of grapes, which under the name of dibs is much used by all classes, wherever vineyards are found, as a condiment to their food. It resembles thin molasses, but is more pleasant to the taste [Robinson]. This is esteemed a great delicacy in the East, and it was produced abundantly in Palestine.

8. A land of wheat, and barley-- These cereal fruits were specially promised to the Israelites in the event of their faithful allegiance to the covenant of God (Psa 81:16; 147:14). The wheat and barley were so abundant as to yield sixty and often an hundredfold (Ge 26:12; Mt 13:8). vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates-- The limestone rocks and abrupt valleys were entirely covered, as traces of them still show, with plantations of figs, vines, and olive trees. Though in a southern latitude, its mountainous formations tempered the excessive heat, and hence, figs, pomegranates, &c., were produced in Palestine equally with wheat and barley, the produce of northern regions. honey-- The word "honey" is used often in a loose, indeterminate sense, very frequently to signify a syrup of dates or of grapes, which under the name of dibs is much used by all classes, wherever vineyards are found, as a condiment to their food. It resembles thin molasses, but is more pleasant to the taste [Robinson]. This is esteemed a great delicacy in the East, and it was produced abundantly in Palestine.


<hi type="bold">9. a land whose stones are iron--</hi>The abundance of this metal in Palestine, especially among the mountains of Lebanon, those of Kesraoun, and elsewhere, is attested not only by Josephus, but by Volney, Buckingham, and other travellers.

<hi type="bold">brass--</hi>not the alloy brass, but the ore of copper. Although the mines may now be exhausted or neglected, they yielded plenty of those metals anciently (<reference osisRef="1Chr.22.3">1Ch 22:3</reference>; <reference osisRef="1Chr.29.2-1Chr.29.7">29:2-7</reference>; <reference osisRef="Isa.60.17">Is 60:17</reference>).

9. a land whose stones are iron-- The abundance of this metal in Palestine, especially among the mountains of Lebanon, those of Kesraoun, and elsewhere, is attested not only by Josephus, but by Volney, Buckingham, and other travellers. brass-- not the alloy brass, but the ore of copper. Although the mines may now be exhausted or neglected, they yielded plenty of those metals anciently (1Ch 22:3; 29:2-7; Is 60:17).


<hi type="bold">11-20. Beware that thou forget not the Lord--</hi>After mentioning those instances of the divine goodness, Moses founded on them an argument for their future obedience.

11-20. Beware that thou forget not the Lord-- After mentioning those instances of the divine goodness, Moses founded on them an argument for their future obedience.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 9</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.9.1-Deut.9.25">De 9:1-25</reference>. Moses Dissuades Them from the Opinion of Their Own Righteousness.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. this day--</hi>means this time. The Israelites had reached the confines of the promised land, but were obliged, to their great mortification, to return. But now they certainly were to enter it. No obstacle could prevent their possession; neither the fortified defenses of the towns, nor the resistance of the gigantic inhabitants of whom they had received from the spies so formidable a description.

<hi type="bold">cities great and fenced up to heaven--</hi>Oriental cities generally cover a much greater space than those in Europe; for the houses often stand apart with gardens and fields intervening. They are almost all surrounded with walls built of burnt or sun-dried bricks, about forty feet in height. All classes in the East, but especially the nomad tribes, in their ignorance of engineering and artillery, would have abandoned in despair the idea of an assault on a walled town, which to-day would be demolished in a few hours.

CHAPTER 9 De 9:1-25. Moses Dissuades Them from the Opinion of Their Own Righteousness. 1. this day-- means this time. The Israelites had reached the confines of the promised land, but were obliged, to their great mortification, to return. But now they certainly were to enter it. No obstacle could prevent their possession; neither the fortified defenses of the towns, nor the resistance of the gigantic inhabitants of whom they had received from the spies so formidable a description. cities great and fenced up to heaven-- Oriental cities generally cover a much greater space than those in Europe; for the houses often stand apart with gardens and fields intervening. They are almost all surrounded with walls built of burnt or sun-dried bricks, about forty feet in height. All classes in the East, but especially the nomad tribes, in their ignorance of engineering and artillery, would have abandoned in despair the idea of an assault on a walled town, which to-day would be demolished in a few hours.


<hi type="bold">4-6. Speak not thou in thine heart, ... saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land--</hi>Moses takes special care to guard his countrymen against the vanity of supposing that their own merits had procured them the distinguished privilege. The Canaanites were a hopelessly corrupt race, and deserved extermination; but history relates many remarkable instances in which God punished corrupt and guilty nations by the instrumentality of other people as bad as themselves. It was not for the sake of the Israelites, but for His own sake, for the promise made to their pious ancestors, and in furtherance of high and comprehensive purposes of good to the world, that God was about to give them a grant of Canaan. <hi type="bold">7. Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord--</hi>To dislodge from their minds any presumptuous idea of their own righteousness, Moses rehearses their acts of disobedience and rebellion committed so frequently, and in circumstances of the most awful and impressive solemnity, that they had forfeited all claims to the favor of God. The candor and boldness with which he gave, and the patient submission with which the people bore, his recital of charges so discreditable to their national character, has often been appealed to as among the many evidences of the truth of this history.

4-6. Speak not thou in thine heart,... saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land-- Moses takes special care to guard his countrymen against the vanity of supposing that their own merits had procured them the distinguished privilege. The Canaanites were a hopelessly corrupt race, and deserved extermination; but history relates many remarkable instances in which God punished corrupt and guilty nations by the instrumentality of other people as bad as themselves. It was not for the sake of the Israelites, but for His own sake, for the promise made to their pious ancestors, and in furtherance of high and comprehensive purposes of good to the world, that God was about to give them a grant of Canaan. 7. Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord-- To dislodge from their minds any presumptuous idea of their own righteousness, Moses rehearses their acts of disobedience and rebellion committed so frequently, and in circumstances of the most awful and impressive solemnity, that they had forfeited all claims to the favor of God. The candor and boldness with which he gave, and the patient submission with which the people bore, his recital of charges so discreditable to their national character, has often been appealed to as among the many evidences of the truth of this history.


<hi type="bold">8. Also in Horeb--</hi>rather, "even in Horeb," where it might have been expected they would have acted otherwise.

8. Also in Horeb-- rather, "even in Horeb," where it might have been expected they would have acted otherwise.


<hi type="bold">12-29. Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people ... have corrupted themselves--</hi>With a view to humble them effectually, Moses proceeds to particularize some of the most atrocious instances of their infidelity. He begins with the impiety of the golden calf--an impiety which, while their miraculous emancipation from Egypt, the most stupendous displays of the Divine Majesty that were exhibited on the adjoining mount, and the recent ratification of the covenant by which they engaged to act as the people of God, were fresh in memory, indicated a degree of inconstancy or debasement almost incredible.

12-29. Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people... have corrupted themselves-- With a view to humble them effectually, Moses proceeds to particularize some of the most atrocious instances of their infidelity. He begins with the impiety of the golden calf--an impiety which, while their miraculous emancipation from Egypt, the most stupendous displays of the Divine Majesty that were exhibited on the adjoining mount, and the recent ratification of the covenant by which they engaged to act as the people of God, were fresh in memory, indicated a degree of inconstancy or debasement almost incredible.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 10</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.10.1-Deut.10.22">De 10:1-22</reference>. God's Mercy in Restoring the Two Tables.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first--</hi>It was when God had been pacified through the intercessions of Moses with the people who had so greatly offended Him by the worship of the golden calf. The obedient leader executed the orders he had received as to the preparation both of the hewn stones, and the ark or chest in which those sacred archives were to be laid.

CHAPTER 10 De 10:1-22. God's Mercy in Restoring the Two Tables. 1. At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first-- It was when God had been pacified through the intercessions of Moses with the people who had so greatly offended Him by the worship of the golden calf. The obedient leader executed the orders he had received as to the preparation both of the hewn stones, and the ark or chest in which those sacred archives were to be laid.


<hi type="bold">3. And I made an ark of shittim wood--</hi>It appears, however, from <reference osisRef="Exod.37.1">Ex 37:1</reference>, that the ark was not framed till his return from the mount, or most probably, he gave instructions to Bezaleel, the artist employed on the work, before he ascended the mount--that, on his descent, it might be finished, and ready to receive the precious deposit.

3. And I made an ark of shittim wood-- It appears, however, from Ex 37:1, that the ark was not framed till his return from the mount, or most probably, he gave instructions to Bezaleel, the artist employed on the work, before he ascended the mount--that, on his descent, it might be finished, and ready to receive the precious deposit.


<hi type="bold">4-5. he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing--</hi>that is, not Moses, who under the divine direction acted as amanuensis, but God Himself who made this inscription a second time with His own hand, to testify the importance He attached to the ten commandments. Different from other stone monuments of antiquity, which were made to stand upright and in the open air, those on which the divine law was engraven were portable, and designed to be kept as a treasure. Josephus says that each of the tables contained five precepts. But the tradition generally received, both among Jewish and Christian writers is, that one table contained four precepts, the other six.

4-5. he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing-- that is, not Moses, who under the divine direction acted as amanuensis, but God Himself who made this inscription a second time with His own hand, to testify the importance He attached to the ten commandments. Different from other stone monuments of antiquity, which were made to stand upright and in the open air, those on which the divine law was engraven were portable, and designed to be kept as a treasure. Josephus says that each of the tables contained five precepts. But the tradition generally received, both among Jewish and Christian writers is, that one table contained four precepts, the other six.


<hi type="bold">6-9. the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera--</hi>So sudden a change from a spoken discourse to a historical narrative has greatly puzzled the most eminent biblical scholars, some of whom reject the parenthesis as a manifest interpolation. But it is found in the most ancient Hebrew manuscripts, and, believing that all contained in this book was given by inspiration and is entitled to profound respect, we must receive it as it stands, although acknowledging our inability to explain the insertion of these encampment details in this place. There is another difficulty in the narrative itself. The stations which the Israelites are said successively to have occupied are enumerated here in a different order from <reference osisRef="Num.33.31">Nu 33:31</reference>. That the names of the stations in both passages are the same there can be no doubt; but, in Numbers, they are probably mentioned in reference to the first visit of the Hebrews during the long wandering southwards, before their return to Kadesh the second time; while here they have a reference to the second passage of the Israelites, when they again marched south, in order to compass the land of Edom. It is easy to conceive that Mosera (Hor) and the wells of Jaakan might lie in such a direction that a nomadic horde might, in different years, at one time take the former first in their way, and at another time the latter [Robinson].

6-9. the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera-- So sudden a change from a spoken discourse to a historical narrative has greatly puzzled the most eminent biblical scholars, some of whom reject the parenthesis as a manifest interpolation. But it is found in the most ancient Hebrew manuscripts, and, believing that all contained in this book was given by inspiration and is entitled to profound respect, we must receive it as it stands, although acknowledging our inability to explain the insertion of these encampment details in this place. There is another difficulty in the narrative itself. The stations which the Israelites are said successively to have occupied are enumerated here in a different order from Nu 33:31. That the names of the stations in both passages are the same there can be no doubt; but, in Numbers, they are probably mentioned in reference to the first visit of the Hebrews during the long wandering southwards, before their return to Kadesh the second time; while here they have a reference to the second passage of the Israelites, when they again marched south, in order to compass the land of Edom. It is easy to conceive that Mosera (Hor) and the wells of Jaakan might lie in such a direction that a nomadic horde might, in different years, at one time take the former first in their way, and at another time the latter [Robinson].


10-22. Moses here resumes his address, and having made a passing allusion to the principal events in their history, concludes by exhorting them to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 11</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.11.1-Deut.11.32">De 11:1-32</reference>. An Exhortation to Obedience.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge--</hi>The reason for the frequent repetition of the same or similar counsels is to be traced to the infantine character and state of the church, which required line upon line and precept upon precept. Besides, the Israelites were a headstrong and perverse people, impatient of control, prone to rebellion, and, from their long stay in Egypt, so violently addicted to idolatry, that they ran imminent risk of being seduced by the religion of the country to which they were going, which, in its characteristic features, bore a strong resemblance to that of the country they had left.

CHAPTER 11 De 11:1-32. An Exhortation to Obedience. 1. Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge-- The reason for the frequent repetition of the same or similar counsels is to be traced to the infantine character and state of the church, which required line upon line and precept upon precept. Besides, the Israelites were a headstrong and perverse people, impatient of control, prone to rebellion, and, from their long stay in Egypt, so violently addicted to idolatry, that they ran imminent risk of being seduced by the religion of the country to which they were going, which, in its characteristic features, bore a strong resemblance to that of the country they had left.


<hi type="bold">2-9. 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--</hi>Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he was addressing many who had been witnesses of those appalling incidents. For it will be remembered that the divine threatening that they should die in the wilderness, and its execution, extended only to males from twenty years and upward, who were able to go forth to war. No males under twenty years of age, no females, and none of the tribe of Levi, were objects of the denunciation (see Nu 14:28-30; 16:49). There might, therefore, have been many thousands of the Israelites at that time of whom Moses could say, "Your eyes have seen all the great acts which He did"; and with regard to those the historic review of Moses was well calculated to stir up their minds to the duty and advantages of obedience.

2-9. 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-- Moses is here giving a brief summary of the marvels and miracles of awful judgment which God had wrought in effecting their release from the tyranny of Pharaoh, as well as those which had taken place in the wilderness. He knew that he might dwell upon these, for he was addressing many who had been witnesses of those appalling incidents. For it will be remembered that the divine threatening that they should die in the wilderness, and its execution, extended only to males from twenty years and upward, who were able to go forth to war. No males under twenty years of age, no females, and none of the tribe of Levi, were objects of the denunciation (see Nu 14:28-30; 16:49). There might, therefore, have been many thousands of the Israelites at that time of whom Moses could say, "Your eyes have seen all the great acts which He did"; and with regard to those the historic review of Moses was well calculated to stir up their minds to the duty and advantages of obedience.


<hi type="bold">10-12. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out--</hi>The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow of the Nile, and by artificial means from the same source when the river has receded within its customary channel. Close by the bank the process of irrigation is very simple. The cultivator opens a small sluice on the edge of the square bed in which seed has been sown, making drill after drill; and when a sufficient quantity of water has poured in, he shuts it up with his foot. Where the bank is high, the water is drawn up by hydraulic engines, of which there are three kinds used, of different power, according to the subsidence of the stream. The water is distributed in small channels or earthen conduits, simple in construction, worked by the foot, and formed with a mattock by the gardener who directs their course, and which are banked up or opened, as occasion may require, by pressing in the soil with the foot. Thus was the land watered in which the Israelites had dwelt so long. Such vigilance and laborious industry would not be needed in the promised land. Instead of being visited with moisture only at one brief season and left during the rest of the year under a withering blight, every season it would enjoy the benign influences of a genial climate. The hills would attract the frequent clouds, and in the refreshing showers the blessing of God would especially rest upon the land.

10-12. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out-- The physical features of Palestine present a striking contrast to those of the land of bondage. A widely extending plain forms the cultivated portion of Egypt, and on the greater part of this low and level country rain never falls. This natural want is supplied by the annual overflow of the Nile, and by artificial means from the same source when the river has receded within its customary channel. Close by the bank the process of irrigation is very simple. The cultivator opens a small sluice on the edge of the square bed in which seed has been sown, making drill after drill; and when a sufficient quantity of water has poured in, he shuts it up with his foot. Where the bank is high, the water is drawn up by hydraulic engines, of which there are three kinds used, of different power, according to the subsidence of the stream. The water is distributed in small channels or earthen conduits, simple in construction, worked by the foot, and formed with a mattock by the gardener who directs their course, and which are banked up or opened, as occasion may require, by pressing in the soil with the foot. Thus was the land watered in which the Israelites had dwelt so long. Such vigilance and laborious industry would not be needed in the promised land. Instead of being visited with moisture only at one brief season and left during the rest of the year under a withering blight, every season it would enjoy the benign influences of a genial climate. The hills would attract the frequent clouds, and in the refreshing showers the blessing of God would especially rest upon the land.


<hi type="bold">14. the first rain and the latter rain--</hi>The early rain commenced in autumn, that is, chiefly during the months of September and October, while the latter rain fell in the spring of the year, that is, during the months of March and April. It is true that occasional showers fell all the winter; but, at the autumnal and vernal seasons, they were more frequent, copious, and important; for the early rain was necessary, after a hot and protracted summer, to prepare the soil for receiving the seed; and the latter rain, which shortly preceded the harvest, was of the greatest use in invigorating the languishing powers of vegetation (<reference osisRef="Jer.5.24">Jr 5:24</reference>; <reference osisRef="Joel.2.23">Joe 2:23</reference>; <reference osisRef="Amos.4.7">Am 4:7</reference>; <reference osisRef="Jas.5.7">Jas 5:7</reference>).

14. the first rain and the latter rain-- The early rain commenced in autumn, that is, chiefly during the months of September and October, while the latter rain fell in the spring of the year, that is, during the months of March and April. It is true that occasional showers fell all the winter; but, at the autumnal and vernal seasons, they were more frequent, copious, and important; for the early rain was necessary, after a hot and protracted summer, to prepare the soil for receiving the seed; and the latter rain, which shortly preceded the harvest, was of the greatest use in invigorating the languishing powers of vegetation (Jr 5:24; Joe 2:23; Am 4:7; Jas 5:7).


<hi type="bold">15-17. I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle--</hi>Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain [De 11:14] was one principal cause of the extraordinary fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant [De 11:13]. It was threatened to be withdrawn on their disobedience or apostasy; and most signally is the execution of that threatening seen in the present sterility of Palestine. MR. LowthIAN, an English farmer, who was struck during his journey from Joppa to Jerusalem by not seeing a blade of grass, where even in the poorest localities of Britain some wild vegetation is found, directed his attention particularly to the subject, and pursued the inquiry during a month's residence in Jerusalem, where he learned that a miserably small quantity of milk is daily sold to the inhabitants at a dear rate, and that chiefly asses' milk. "Most clearly," says he, "did I perceive that the barrenness of large portions of the country was owing to the cessation of the early and latter rain, and that the absence of grass and flowers made it no longer the land (<reference osisRef="Deut.11.9">De 11:9</reference>) flowing with milk and honey."

15-17. I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle-- Undoubtedly the special blessing of the former and the latter rain [De 11:14] was one principal cause of the extraordinary fertility of Canaan in ancient times. That blessing was promised to the Israelites as a temporal reward for their fidelity to the national covenant [De 11:13]. It was threatened to be withdrawn on their disobedience or apostasy; and most signally is the execution of that threatening seen in the present sterility of Palestine. MR. LowthIAN, an English farmer, who was struck during his journey from Joppa to Jerusalem by not seeing a blade of grass, where even in the poorest localities of Britain some wild vegetation is found, directed his attention particularly to the subject, and pursued the inquiry during a month's residence in Jerusalem, where he learned that a miserably small quantity of milk is daily sold to the inhabitants at a dear rate, and that chiefly asses' milk. "Most clearly," says he, "did I perceive that the barrenness of large portions of the country was owing to the cessation of the early and latter rain, and that the absence of grass and flowers made it no longer the land (De 11:9) flowing with milk and honey."


<hi type="bold">18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them--</hi>(See on <reference osisRef="Deut.6.1">De 6:1</reference>).

18-25. lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them-- (See on De 6:1).


<hi type="bold">26-32. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse--</hi>(See on <reference osisRef="Deut.27.11">De 27:11</reference>). <chapter eID="Deut.11"/>

26-32. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse-- (See on De 27:11).


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 12</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.12.1-Deut.12.15">De 12:1-15</reference>. Monuments of Idolatry to Be Destroyed.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe--</hi>Having in the preceding chapter inculcated upon the Israelites the general obligation to fear and love God, Moses here enters into a detail of some special duties they were to practise on their obtaining possession of the promised land.

CHAPTER 12 De 12:1-15. Monuments of Idolatry to Be Destroyed. 1. These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe-- Having in the preceding chapter inculcated upon the Israelites the general obligation to fear and love God, Moses here enters into a detail of some special duties they were to practise on their obtaining possession of the promised land.


<hi type="bold">2. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods--</hi>This divine command was founded on the tendencies of human nature; for to remove out of sight everything that had been associated with idolatry, that it might never be spoken of and no vestige of it remain, was the only effectual way to keep the Israelites from temptations to it. It is observable that Moses does not make any mention of temples, for such buildings were not in existence at that early period. The "places" chosen as the scene of heathen worship were situated either on the summit of a lofty mountain, or on some artificial mound, or in a grove, planted with particular trees, such as oaks, poplars, and elms (<reference osisRef="Isa.57.5-Isa.57.7">Is 57:5-7</reference>; <reference osisRef="Hos.4.13">Ho 4:13</reference>). The reason for the selection of such sites was both to secure retirement and to direct the attention upward to heaven; and the "place" was nothing else than a consecrated enclosure, or at most, a canopy or screen from the weather.

2. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods-- This divine command was founded on the tendencies of human nature; for to remove out of sight everything that had been associated with idolatry, that it might never be spoken of and no vestige of it remain, was the only effectual way to keep the Israelites from temptations to it. It is observable that Moses does not make any mention of temples, for such buildings were not in existence at that early period. The "places" chosen as the scene of heathen worship were situated either on the summit of a lofty mountain, or on some artificial mound, or in a grove, planted with particular trees, such as oaks, poplars, and elms (Is 57:5-7; Ho 4:13). The reason for the selection of such sites was both to secure retirement and to direct the attention upward to heaven; and the "place" was nothing else than a consecrated enclosure, or at most, a canopy or screen from the weather.


<hi type="bold">3. And ye shall overthrow their altars--</hi>piles of turf or small stones.

<hi type="bold">and break their pillars--</hi>Before the art of sculpture was known, the statues of idols were only rude blocks of colored stones.

3. And ye shall overthrow their altars-- piles of turf or small stones. and break their pillars-- Before the art of sculpture was known, the statues of idols were only rude blocks of colored stones.


<hi type="bold">5. unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose ... to put his name there ... thou shalt come--</hi>They were forbidden to worship either in the impure superstitious manner of the heathen, or in any of the places frequented by them. A particular place for the general rendezvous of all the tribes would be chosen by God Himself; and the choice of one common place for the solemn rites of religion was an act of divine wisdom, for the security of the true religion. It was admirably calculated to prevent the corruption which would otherwise have crept in from their frequenting groves and high hills--to preserve uniformity of worship and keep alive their faith in Him to whom all their sacrifices pointed. The place was successively Mizpeh, Shiloh, and especially Jerusalem. But in all the references made to it by Moses, the name is never mentioned. This studied silence was maintained partly lest the Canaanites within whose territories it lay might have concentrated their forces to frustrate all hopes of obtaining it; partly lest the desire of possessing a place of such importance might have become a cause of strife or rivalry amongst the Hebrew tribes, as about the appointment to the priesthood (<reference osisRef="Num.16.1-Num.16.30">Nu 16:1-30</reference>).

5. unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose... to put his name there... thou shalt come-- They were forbidden to worship either in the impure superstitious manner of the heathen, or in any of the places frequented by them. A particular place for the general rendezvous of all the tribes would be chosen by God Himself; and the choice of one common place for the solemn rites of religion was an act of divine wisdom, for the security of the true religion. It was admirably calculated to prevent the corruption which would otherwise have crept in from their frequenting groves and high hills--to preserve uniformity of worship and keep alive their faith in Him to whom all their sacrifices pointed. The place was successively Mizpeh, Shiloh, and especially Jerusalem. But in all the references made to it by Moses, the name is never mentioned. This studied silence was maintained partly lest the Canaanites within whose territories it lay might have concentrated their forces to frustrate all hopes of obtaining it; partly lest the desire of possessing a place of such importance might have become a cause of strife or rivalry amongst the Hebrew tribes, as about the appointment to the priesthood (Nu 16:1-30).


<hi type="bold">7. there ye shall eat before the Lord--</hi>of the things mentioned (<reference osisRef="Deut.12.6">De 12:6</reference>); but of course, none of the parts assigned to the priests before the Lord--in the place where the sanctuary should be established, and in those parts of the Holy City which the people were at liberty to frequent and inhabit.

7. there ye shall eat before the Lord-- of the things mentioned (De 12:6); but of course, none of the parts assigned to the priests before the Lord--in the place where the sanctuary should be established, and in those parts of the Holy City which the people were at liberty to frequent and inhabit.


<hi type="bold">12. ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, &c.--</hi>Hence it appears that, although males only were commanded to appear before God at the annual solemn feasts (<reference osisRef="Exod.23.17">Ex 23:17</reference>), the women were allowed to accompany them (<reference osisRef="1Sam.1.3-1Sam.1.23">1Sa 1:3-23</reference>).

12. ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, &c.-- Hence it appears that, although males only were commanded to appear before God at the annual solemn feasts (Ex 23:17), the women were allowed to accompany them (1Sa 1:3-23).


<hi type="bold">15. Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates--</hi>Every animal designed for food, whether ox, goat, or lamb, was during the abode in the wilderness ordered to be slain as a peace offering at the door of the tabernacle; its blood to be sprinkled, and its fat burnt upon the altar by the priest. The encampment, being then round about the altar, made this practice, appointed to prevent idolatry, easy and practicable. But on the settlement in the promised land, the obligation to slay at the tabernacle was dispensed with. The people were left at liberty to prepare their meat in their cities or homes.

<hi type="bold">according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee--</hi>The style of living should be accommodated to one's condition and means--profuse and riotous indulgence can never secure the divine blessing.

<hi type="bold">the unclean and the clean may eat thereof--</hi>The unclean here are those who were under some slight defilement, which, without excluding them from society, yet debarred them from eating any of the sacred meats (<reference osisRef="Lev.7.20">Le 7:20</reference>). They were at liberty freely to partake of common articles of food.

<hi type="bold">of the roebuck--</hi>the gazelle.

<hi type="bold">and as of the hart--</hi>The Syrian deer (Cervus barbatus) is a species between our red and fallow deer, distinguished by the want of a bis-antler, or second branch on the horns, reckoning from below, and for a spotted livery which is effaced only in the third or fourth year.

15. Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates-- Every animal designed for food, whether ox, goat, or lamb, was during the abode in the wilderness ordered to be slain as a peace offering at the door of the tabernacle; its blood to be sprinkled, and its fat burnt upon the altar by the priest. The encampment, being then round about the altar, made this practice, appointed to prevent idolatry, easy and practicable. But on the settlement in the promised land, the obligation to slay at the tabernacle was dispensed with. The people were left at liberty to prepare their meat in their cities or homes. according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee-- The style of living should be accommodated to one's condition and means--profuse and riotous indulgence can never secure the divine blessing. the unclean and the clean may eat thereof-- The unclean here are those who were under some slight defilement, which, without excluding them from society, yet debarred them from eating any of the sacred meats (Le 7:20). They were at liberty freely to partake of common articles of food. of the roebuck-- the gazelle. and as of the hart-- The Syrian deer (Cervus barbatus) is a species between our red and fallow deer, distinguished by the want of a bis-antler, or second branch on the horns, reckoning from below, and for a spotted livery which is effaced only in the third or fourth year.


<title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.12.16-Deut.12.25">De 12:16-25</reference>. Blood Prohibited.</title>

<hi type="bold">16. ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water--</hi>The prohibition against eating or drinking blood as an unnatural custom accompanied the announcement of the divine grant of animal flesh for food (<reference osisRef="Gen.9.4">Ge 9:4</reference>), and the prohibition was repeatedly renewed by Moses with reference to the great objects of the law (<reference osisRef="Lev.17.12">Le 17:12</reference>), the prevention of idolatry, and the consecration of the sacrificial blood to God. In regard, however, to the blood of animals slain for food, it might be shed without ceremony and poured on the ground as a common thing like water--only for the sake of decency, as well as for preventing all risk of idolatry, it was to be covered over with earth (<reference osisRef="Lev.17.13">Le 17:13</reference>), in opposition to the practice of heathen sportsmen, who left it exposed as an offering to the god of the chase.

De 12:16-25. Blood Prohibited. 16. ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water-- The prohibition against eating or drinking blood as an unnatural custom accompanied the announcement of the divine grant of animal flesh for food (Ge 9:4), and the prohibition was repeatedly renewed by Moses with reference to the great objects of the law (Le 17:12), the prevention of idolatry, and the consecration of the sacrificial blood to God. In regard, however, to the blood of animals slain for food, it might be shed without ceremony and poured on the ground as a common thing like water--only for the sake of decency, as well as for preventing all risk of idolatry, it was to be covered over with earth (Le 17:13), in opposition to the practice of heathen sportsmen, who left it exposed as an offering to the god of the chase.


<hi type="bold">22-28. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so shalt thou eat them, &c.--</hi>Game when procured in the wilderness had not been required to be brought to the door of the tabernacle. The people were now to be as free in the killing of domestic cattle as of wild animals. The permission to hunt and use venison for food was doubtless a great boon to the Israelites, not only in the wilderness, but on their settlement in Canaan, as the mountainous ranges of Lebanon, Carmel, and Gilead, on which deer abounded in vast numbers, would thus furnish them with a plentiful and luxuriant repast.

22-28. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so shalt thou eat them, &c.-- Game when procured in the wilderness had not been required to be brought to the door of the tabernacle. The people were now to be as free in the killing of domestic cattle as of wild animals. The permission to hunt and use venison for food was doubtless a great boon to the Israelites, not only in the wilderness, but on their settlement in Canaan, as the mountainous ranges of Lebanon, Carmel, and Gilead, on which deer abounded in vast numbers, would thus furnish them with a plentiful and luxuriant repast.


<hi type="bold">29-30. Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them ... saying, How did these nations serve their gods?--</hi>The Israelites, influenced by superstitious fear, too often endeavored to propitiate the deities of Canaan. Their Egyptian education had early impressed that bugbear notion of a set of local deities, who expected their dues of all who came to inhabit the country which they honored with their protection, and severely resented the neglect of payment in all newcomers [Warburton]. Taking into consideration the prevalence of this idea among them, we see that against an Egyptian influence was directed the full force of the wholesome caution with which this chapter closes. <chapter eID="Deut.12"/>

29-30. Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them... saying, How did these nations serve their gods?-- The Israelites, influenced by superstitious fear, too often endeavored to propitiate the deities of Canaan. Their Egyptian education had early impressed that bugbear notion of a set of local deities, who expected their dues of all who came to inhabit the country which they honored with their protection, and severely resented the neglect of payment in all newcomers [Warburton]. Taking into consideration the prevalence of this idea among them, we see that against an Egyptian influence was directed the full force of the wholesome caution with which this chapter closes.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 13</title> <title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.13.1-Deut.13.5">De 13:1-5</reference>. Enticers to Idolatry to Be Put to Death.</title>

<hi type="bold">1. If there arise among you a prophet--</hi>The special counsels which follow arose out of the general precept contained in <reference osisRef="Deut.12.32">De 12:32</reference>; and the purport of them is, that every attempt to seduce others from the course of duty which that divine standard of faith and worship prescribes must not only be strenuously resisted, but the seducer punished by the law of the land. This is exemplified in three cases of enticement to idolatry.

<hi type="bold">a prophet--</hi>that is, some notable person laying claim to the character and authority of the prophetic office (<reference osisRef="Num.12.6">Nu 12:6</reference>; <reference osisRef="1Sam.10.6">1Sa 10:6</reference>), performing feats of dexterity or power in support of his pretensions, or even predicting events which occurred as he foretold; as, for instance, an eclipse which a knowledge of natural science might enable him to anticipate (or, as Caiaphas, <reference osisRef="John.18.14">Joh 18:14</reference>). Should the aim of such a one be to seduce the people from the worship of the true God, he is an impostor and must be put to death. No prodigy, however wonderful, no human authority, however great, should be allowed to shake their belief in the divine character and truth of a religion so solemnly taught and so awfully attested (compare <reference osisRef="Gal.1.8">Ga 1:8</reference>). The modern Jews appeal to this passage as justifying their rejection of Jesus Christ. But He possessed all the characteristics of a true prophet, and He was so far from alienating the people from God and His worship that the grand object of His ministry was to lead to a purer, more spiritual and perfect observance of the law.

CHAPTER 13 De 13:1-5. Enticers to Idolatry to Be Put to Death. 1. If there arise among you a prophet-- The special counsels which follow arose out of the general precept contained in De 12:32; and the purport of them is, that every attempt to seduce others from the course of duty which that divine standard of faith and worship prescribes must not only be strenuously resisted, but the seducer punished by the law of the land. This is exemplified in three cases of enticement to idolatry. a prophet-- that is, some notable person laying claim to the character and authority of the prophetic office (Nu 12:6; 1Sa 10:6), performing feats of dexterity or power in support of his pretensions, or even predicting events which occurred as he foretold; as, for instance, an eclipse which a knowledge of natural science might enable him to anticipate (or, as Caiaphas, Joh 18:14). Should the aim of such a one be to seduce the people from the worship of the true God, he is an impostor and must be put to death. No prodigy, however wonderful, no human authority, however great, should be allowed to shake their belief in the divine character and truth of a religion so solemnly taught and so awfully attested (compare Ga 1:8). The modern Jews appeal to this passage as justifying their rejection of Jesus Christ. But He possessed all the characteristics of a true prophet, and He was so far from alienating the people from God and His worship that the grand object of His ministry was to lead to a purer, more spiritual and perfect observance of the law.


<title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.13.6-Deut.13.18">De 13:6-18</reference>. Without Regard to Nearness of Relation.</title>

<hi type="bold">6. If thy brother ... entice thee secretly--</hi>This term being applied very loosely in all Eastern countries (<reference osisRef="Gen.20.13">Ge 20:13</reference>), other expressions are added to intimate that no degree of kindred, however intimate, should be allowed to screen an enticer to idolatry, to conceal his crime, or protect his person. Piety and duty must overcome affection or compassion, and an accusation must be lodged before a magistrate.

De 13:6-18. Without Regard to Nearness of Relation. 6. If thy brother... entice thee secretly-- This term being applied very loosely in all Eastern countries (Ge 20:13), other expressions are added to intimate that no degree of kindred, however intimate, should be allowed to screen an enticer to idolatry, to conceal his crime, or protect his person. Piety and duty must overcome affection or compassion, and an accusation must be lodged before a magistrate.


<hi type="bold">9. thou shalt surely kill him--</hi>not hastily, or in a private manner, but after trial and conviction; and his relative, as informer, was to cast the first stone (see on <reference osisRef="Deut.17.2">De 17:2</reference>; <reference osisRef="Acts.7.58">Ac 7:58</reference>). It is manifest that what was done in secret could not be legally proved by a single informer; and hence Jewish writers say that spies were set in some private part of the house, to hear the conversation and watch the conduct of a person suspected of idolatrous tendencies.

9. thou shalt surely kill him-- not hastily, or in a private manner, but after trial and conviction; and his relative, as informer, was to cast the first stone (see on De 17:2; Ac 7:58). It is manifest that what was done in secret could not be legally proved by a single informer; and hence Jewish writers say that spies were set in some private part of the house, to hear the conversation and watch the conduct of a person suspected of idolatrous tendencies.


<hi type="bold">12-18. Certain men, the children of Belial--</hi>lawless, designing demagogues (<reference osisRef="Judg.19.22">Jud 19:22</reference>; <reference osisRef="1Sam.1.16">1Sa 1:16</reference>; 25:25), who abused their influence to withdraw the inhabitants of the city to idol-worship.

12-18. Certain men, the children of Belial-- lawless, designing demagogues (Jud 19:22; 1Sa 1:16; 25:25), who abused their influence to withdraw the inhabitants of the city to idol-worship.


<title type="x-s2">CHAPTER 14</title>
 <reference osisRef="Deut.14.1">De 14:1</reference>, 2. God's People Must Not Disfigure Themselves in Mourning.

<hi type="bold">1. ye shall not cut yourselves ... for the dead--</hi>It was a common practice of idolaters, both on ceremonious occasions of their worship (<reference osisRef="1Kgs.18.28">1Ki 18:28</reference>), and at funerals (compare <reference osisRef="Jer.16.6">Jr 16:6</reference>; <reference osisRef="Jer.41.5">41:5</reference>), to make ghastly incisions on their faces and other parts of their persons with their finger nails or sharp instruments. The making a large bare space between the eyebrows was another heathen custom in honor of the dead (see on <reference osisRef="Lev.19.27">Le 19:27</reference>, <reference osisRef="Lev.19.28">28</reference>; <reference osisRef="Lev.21.5">Le 21:5</reference>). Such indecorous and degrading usages, being extravagant and unnatural expressions of hopeless sorrow (<reference osisRef="1Thess.4.13">1Th 4:13</reference>), were to be carefully avoided by the Israelites, as derogatory to the character, and inconsistent with the position, of those who were the people of God [De 14:2].

CHAPTER 14 De 14:1, 2. God's People Must Not Disfigure Themselves in Mourning. 1. ye shall not cut yourselves... for the dead-- It was a common practice of idolaters, both on ceremonious occasions of their worship (1Ki 18:28), and at funerals (compare Jr 16:6; 41:5), to make ghastly incisions on their faces and other parts of their persons with their finger nails or sharp instruments. The making a large bare space between the eyebrows was another heathen custom in honor of the dead (see on Le 19:27, 28; Le 21:5). Such indecorous and degrading usages, being extravagant and unnatural expressions of hopeless sorrow (1Th 4:13), were to be carefully avoided by the Israelites, as derogatory to the character, and inconsistent with the position, of those who were the people of God [De 14:2].


<title type="x-s3"><reference osisRef="Deut.14.3-Deut.14.21">De 14:3-21</reference>. What May Be Eaten, and What Not.</title>

<hi type="bold">3. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing--</hi>that is, anything forbidden as unclean (see on <reference osisRef="Lev.11.1">Le 11:1</reference>).

De 14:3-21. What May Be Eaten, and What Not. 3. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing-- that is, anything forbidden as unclean (see on Le 11:1).