men, but miraculously; ch. viii. 3.; Exod. xvi. 12. With v. 7, 8. comp. Numb. xxi. 23. xxxii. 33. 11. the hewer, &c.] Josh. ix. 27.

All of you, even from the meanest servant,

12. into his oath,] Into the covenant confirmed by his oath; which covenant is that he may establish thee to day for a people," &c. v. 13. comp. ch. xxviii. 9. Neh. x. 29. and Gen. xii. 2, 7. xvii. 7. et al. This covenant God establishes not only with you the present generation, but with your posterity, v. 14, 15. and he makes it with all, lest any should depart from the living God, v. 18. 16, 17. are parenthetical, containing certain motives to incline them to enter into covenant with God.

18. a root, &c.] A highly figurative expression, signifying, lest there be any person lurking secretly among you who is tainted with evil principles; Acts viii. 23.; Heb. xii. 15. notes.

19. of this curse,] Rather, "the words of this oath," i. e. of the covenant confirmed with an oath, v. 12. "he bless himself in his heart," flatters himself, saying "I shall have peace," I shall be prosperous and happy, "though I walk in the imagination," though I follow the corrupt inclinations of my mind," to add drunkenness to thirst," i. e. so as to abound in all manner of wickedness; for this is a proverbial expression denoting the natural progress and increase of sinful gratifications, as a thirst of the drunkard increases by indulgence.

21. unto evil] To inflict evil upon him; shall set him apart for punishment.

23. is brimstone,] These expressions are intended to describe the utmost sterility, Isa. xxxiv. 9; Jer. xvii. 6. comp. Gen. xix.

24, 25.

26. knew not,] Strange, unknown gods; ch. xxviii. 64. " and whom he hath not given unto them;" i. e. whom God hath not appointed to be worshipped by them; ch. iv. 19. note. It may mean, "and to whom he [God] hath not given, or divided, any portion;" i. e. who have no power to confer benefits upon men. But the clause is obscure, and has been variously rendered and explained.

29. the secret things, &c.] This is added for the sake of showing that men ought to be satisfied with the answer in the foregoing verses to the question in v. 24. and not to inquire too curiously into the secrets of God's providence, for these things belong exclusively to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed concern us and our children for ever, in order "that we may do all the words of this law," and thereby avoid the curses threatened against those who forsake the covenant of the Lord; v. 25.

CHAPTER XXX.

1. set before thee,] Which I have proposed for thy choice,

namely, in the foregoing chapters; "and thou shalt call them to mind," shalt reflect seriously upon them.

2. and shalt return, &c.] Shall repent. Here it is implied that repentance must be accompanied by obedience.

3. will turn thy captivity,] Will bring thy captives back to their own land. The prophecy in these verses was in part fulfilled by their return from the Babylonish captivity; but as it refers to a reassembling the Jews from "all nations," from "the utmost parts of heaven," it must surely have yet a further accomplishment; Rom. xi. notes.

4. the utmost parts of heaven,] i. e. of the earth under the heaven; Neh. i. 8, 9.

5. will do thee good,] See ch. viii. 16.

6. circumcise,] See ch. x. 16. note. This promise in v. 6—10. is not yet fulfilled, but will be when the Jews are gathered from all nations, and brought back to the land of their fathers, v. 3—5. With v. 9. comp. ch. xxviii. 11, 63.

11. this day,] Now, at this period. "Is not hidden from thee," is not above thy comprehension, as the Hebrew verb signifies, "neither is it far off," out of reach.

12, 13. It is not in heaven, &c.] Viz. the Divine commandments are not kept secret from the world, nor are they abstruse and difficult, requiring immense labour and research to understand them; neither is it requisite to travel, like the ancient philosophers, to gain a knowledge of them; " but the word," the commandment, "is nigh thee," is easily attained and understood, so that thou mayest confess it "with thy mouth," and believe it "with thy heart," and therefore nothing hinders thee but "that thou mayest do it." See St. Paul's application of this passage Rom. x. 6, 8.

notes.

15. life, &c.] Which is explained in v. 18, 19. comp. ch. iv. 26. 20. he is thy life, &c.] The author and giver of long life.

CHAPTER XXXI.

2. go out, &c.] I can no more discharge the office of your governor and leader, Numb. xxvii. 17. not because he wanted vigour and strength of body, for "his natural force was not abated," ch. xxxiv. 7. but, as the next clause shows, because God did not permit him to conduct them over Jordan; ch. iii. 27.; Numb. xx. 12. xxvii. 13.

3. before thee,] Joshua shall be thy governor and leader; ch. iii. 28. but under the guidance and direction of the Lord, who "will go over before thee" to direct the way, v. 8. ch. ix. 3.; Numb. xxvii. 21. With v. 4-6. comp, Numb. xxiv. 24. et seq.; and ch. i. 28, 32. iii. 2. vii. 2. et seq,; xii. 1. et seq. With v. 7, 8. comp. v. 23.; ch. iii. 28. ix. 3.; Josh. i. 9.

9. this law] Contained in the five books of Moses.

"Which

bore the ark," Numb. iv. 15. comp. v. 26. With v. 10. comp. ch.

XV. 1.

11. before all Israel] As all could not attend in one place, they must either have been divided into separate congregations, and have the law read by different persons, or the meaning must be, that the supreme governor was to read it publicly, thus solemnly acknowledging it as the law which they were bound to obey; Neh. viii. 1. et seq. If the former interpretation be adopted, the command," thou shalt read," &c. must be understood as addressed to each of the Levites. With v. 15, 16. comp. Exod. xxxiii. 9, 10.

xxxiv. 15.

17. hide my face] I will withdraw my favour and protection,

v. 18.

19. this song] Namely, which follows in the next chapter: put it in their mouths," take care that they may learn it so as to repeat and sing it. With v. 20. comp. v. 16.; Exod. iii. 8.

21. I know their imagination] Their disposition, or inclination. With . 23. comp. v. 7, 14.; Josh. i. 6.

26. in the side] Rather, by the side of the ark;" for there was nothing in the ark besides the two tables of stone; 1 Kings viii. 9.; 2 Chron. v. 10. "For a witness against thee," for a public record and testimony against this people when they corrupt themselves, v. 27.

30. of all the congregation] As this could not be done at once, it must either have been at several times, or by the elders and officers, v. 28.

CHAPTER XXXII.

1. Give ear, &c.] Ch. iv. 26. xxx. 19.; Ps. 1. 4.; Isa. i. 2. This is the song referred to ch. xxxi. 19, 21, 22, 30. and it has been allowed by all competent judges to be a poem of inimitable excellence and grandeur. It begins with declaring the excellence of Divine truth, v. 1-3. the perfection of God, v. 4. and the corruption of the people, v. 5, 6. Moses then reminds them of God's favours to them, v. 7—14. and their ingratitude, v. 15—18. and set before them the promises and threatenings of God, v. 19—43. 2. shall drop, &c.] Shall be as refreshing and profitable to your souls as showers to the parched ground; Isa. lv. 10, 11.

3. I will publish] Proclaim or celebrate his perfections.

4. He is the Rock.] So called from his stability and immutability; "all his ways are judgment;" every thing he does is just and right.

5. their spot,] Rather, "they have corrupted themselves; they are not his children; they are spotted; they are a perverse and crooked generation."

6. hath bought thee?] Redeemed thee from Egyptian bondage; Exod. xv. 16. "Hath he not made thee?" i. e. a great and mighty nation, and his peculiar people.

7. consider the years, &c.] Consult the most ancient records,

inquire of the elders who are best acquainted with them, "and they will tell thee" of all the favours of God towards thee.

8. when he separated the sons of Adam,] Or, "the sons of men," as related in Gen. x. xi. "he set the bounds," &c. ; he even then assigned the boundaries of the people of Israel according to their number, sufficient to contain them when they came to take possession of the country so assigned.

9. For the Lord's portion, &c.] i. e. because he chose them out of all other nations to be his special inheritance, his peculiar treasure; Exod. xix. 5.

10. He found] As God did not find the Israelites in the wilderness, but brought them there, some render it," he sustained or supported them." But the meaning seems rather to be, He took the Israelites for his peculiar people, by making a covenant with them in the wilderness; as the verb often signifies to obtain, to get, to acquire, Prov. iii. 13. viii. 9, 35. xviii. 22. "He (God) instructed him," the people of Israel, i. e. in the law which he gave them. With v. 11. comp. Exod. xix. 4.

12. there was no strange god with him.] i. e. he had no need of the help of any strange god.

13. ride on the high places] He gave them triumphant possession of a country, full of lofty and fruitful hills. Made him to suck," &c.; i. e. he gave the Israelites so fruitful a land that even the rocky parts abounded with wild bees and olive trees, from which honey and oil might be collected.

14. the fat of kidneys of wheat ;] A poetical expression for the finest and plumpest wheat, Ps. lxxxi. 16. cxlvii. 14. Bashan was famous for cattle; Numb. xxxii. 4.

15. Jeshurun] Viz Israel "waxed fat," grew rich and prosperous, "and kicked," rebelled against God, as stated in the latter part of the verse. Lightly esteemed," rather " despised the Rock of his salvation," i. e. God his Saviour; v. 4. so v. 18.

17. unto devils,] Rather, "to demons," Levit. xvii. 7. note; comp. ch. xxviii. 64.; Jer. ii. 7. v. 7. x. 5.; Hos. ii. 4. et seq.; xiii. 6.

19. provoking] Because of the provocation by which his children, the people of Israel, had provoked him. Some interpret it, he abhorred his sons and daughters through the indignation with which he was moved against them.

20. I will see, &c.] I will take care that their end be such as their provocations deserve.

21. I will move. &c.] God here threatens that he would raise the jealousy and anger of the Jews by rejecting them, and bestowing the blessings of the Messiah upon the Gentiles, who were "not a people" of God, in the sense the Israelites were, and who were "a foolish nation," as they served idols and divers lusts, Rom. i. 21, 22. So the apostle explains it, Rom. x. 19. comp. Rom. ix. 25. notes.

22. unto the lowest hell,] Meaning his anger was so great that it would extend every where, and nothing would escape its fury.

23. mine arrows] My judgments, afflictions, and calamities; Ps. vii. 12, 13. xxxviii. 2. lxxvii. 17.

24. burnt] Rather, "exhausted with hunger." 26. I said,] I resolved.

27. feared Rather, " were I not apprehensive," &c. i. e. I would make the very remembrance of them to cease, v. 26. were I not apprehensive lest their adversaries, in their fury, should become arrogant, and imagine their own power and valour had destroyed the Israelites; comp. Exod. xxxii. 12.; Numb. xiv. 13.

28. they] The Israelites. The expressions in this verse are hyperbolical, meaning they have little counsel or understanding.

29. their latter end!] Not their death, but what will be the end and result of their folly; or, as some explain it, "that they would consider their latter times," the times of the Messiah. "How could one [of the enemy] chase a 1000 [Israelites], except their Rock [the Lord] had sold them," had given them up to their adversaries, "and shut them up," prevented their escape; v. 30.

comp. v. 4.

32. their vine, &c.] This and the next verse are highly figurative and poetic; and the meaning is, that the Israelites were as wicked as the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, and that their deeds were odious to God, and destructive to others.

34. Is not this [their wickedness] laid up in store with me,] Meaning, I kept it in remembrance, and will in due time punish it, as is stated in the next verse. According to some the meaning is, Is not this [vengeance] laid up in store" for them? namely, the vengeance mentioned v. 35. comp. Ps. xciv. 1.; Rom. xii. 19.; Heb. x. 30.

35. shall slide] They shall stumble and fall "in due time," when God shall see the proper season. "Make haste," approach rapidly.

36. shall judge] Shall execute vengeance upon his people, " and repent himself" that he ever took them for his servants." Or perhaps, "Nevertheless the Lord shall judge," plead the cause of "his people, Ps. liv. 3. cxxxv. 14. “and repent himself for his servants," recall his sentence, and have mercy upon them, “when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left," when they are so utterly destroyed, that they have nothing reserved or remaining; 1 Kings xiv. 10. xxi. 21.; 2 Kings ix. 8. xiv. 26. "And [God] shall say," &c. comp. v. 4.

38. Which did eat, &c] i. e. to which you offered your sacrifices.

39. See now,] Consider now, and be convinced that "I am he" whom I represented myself, even God, "and there is no God with me," i. e. I am the only God, v. 12. ch. iv. 35.

40. I lift up, &c.] God is here represented after the manner of men who lift up their hands in swearing, Gen. xiv. 22.; Exod. vi. 8.; Neh. ix. 15. and the sense is, As surely as "I live for ever, if, or rather when I whet my glittering sword," when I make