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Moses recapitulates

A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Ex. Isr. 40. Sebat.

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that time, to show you the word | nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor of the LORD for f ye were afraid any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger An. Ex. Isr. 40. by reason of the fire, and went that is within thy gates; that not up into the mount;) saying,

6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of h bondage..

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thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou,

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15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.

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8Thou shalt not-make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my command

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12 Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee." 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:

14 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, f Exod. xix. 16; xx. 18; xxiv. 2.- Exod. xx. 2, &c.; Lev. xxvi. 1; ch. vi. 4; Psa. lxxxi. 10.—h Heb. servants.- Exod. xx. 3. Exod. xx. 4.- Exod. xxxiv. 7.m Jer. xxxii. 18; Dan. ix. 4. Exodus xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; Matthew v. 33. o Exod. xx. 8. -P Exod. xxiii. 12; xxxv. 2; Ezek. xx. 12. 4 Gen. ii. 2; Exod. xvi. 29, 30; Heb. iv. 4.-r Chap. xv. 15 xvi. 12; xxiv. 18, 22.

Verse 6. I am the Lord thy God] See these-commandments explained in the notes on Exod. xx.

Verse 15. And remember that thou wast a servant] In, this and the latter clause of the preceding verse Moses adds another reason why one day in seven should be sanctified, viz., that the servants might rest, and this is urged upon them on the consideration of their having been servants in the land of Egypt. We see therefore that God had three grand ends in view by appointing a Sabbath. 1. To commemorate the creation, 2. To give a due proportion of rest to man and beast. When in Egypt they had no rest; their cruel task-masters caused them to labour without intermission now God had given rest, and as he had showed them mercy, he teaches them to show mercy to their servants: Remember that thou wast a servant. 3. To afford peculiar spiritual advantages to the soul,

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Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

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21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his: man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's..

22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

23 b And it came to pass, when ye heard

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Chap. iv. 34, 37. Exod. xx. 12; Lev. xix. 3; chap. xxvii. 16; Eph: vi, 2, 3; Col. in 20. Chap. iv. 40. Exod. xx: 13; Matt. v. 21.— Exod. xx. 14; Luke xviii. 20; James ii. IÍ. Exod. xx. 15; Rom. xiii. 9.- Exod. xx. 16 Exod. xx. 17; Mic. ii. 2; Hab. ii. 9; Luke xii. 15; Rom. vii. 7; xiii. 9.- Exod. xxiv. 12; xxxi. 18; chap. iv. 13. b Exod. xx. 18, 19. that it might be kept in remembrance of the rest which remains at the right hand of God.

Therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.] Here is a variation in the manner of expression, Sabbath day for seventh, owing, it is supposed, to a change of the day at the exodus from Sunday to Saturday, effected upon the gathering of the manna, Exod. xvi. 23. The Sabbath now became a twofold memorial of the deliverance, as well as of the creation; and this accounts for the new reason assigned for its observance "Therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day." See Dr. A. BAYLEY'S Heb. and Eng. Bible, and the note on Exod. xvi. 23.

Verse 21. His field] This clause is not in the tenth commandment as it stands in Exod. xx. 17. Verse 23, &c. And it came to pass, when

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CHAP. V.

the voice out of the midst of the An. Ex. Isr. 40. darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he a liveth.

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ye heard the voice] See the notes on Exod. xx. 18, &c.

Verse 29. O that there were such a heart in them] Or rather, in mi yitten vehayah le babam zeh, Who will give such a heart to them, that they may fear; &c. They refuse to receive such a heart from me; who then can supply it? If they had not been such perfectly free agents as could either use or abuse their liberty, could God have made the complaint or expressed the earnest desire we find in this verse? He made the human will free; and in spite of all the influence of sin, and Satan, he preserves its liberty. Had man no free will, he could neither be punished nor rewarded, because a mere machine, and consequently no more accountable for his actions than the fire for its consuming quality, or the stone for its gravity; the one having burned the house of the righteous, the other having crushed the innocent to death. See the note on chap. xxix. 4.

Verse 32, Ye shall observe to do] He who marks not the word of God is never likely to fulfil the will of God.

Ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.] The way of truth and righteousness is a right line; a man must walk straight forward who wishes to go to glory; no crooked or devious path ever led to God or happiness.

beseech Moses to speak to them.

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words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they An. Ex. Isr. 40. have well said all that they have spoken.

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29 O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 30 Go say to them, Get you into your tents again.

31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.

32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left,

33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess..

1 Chap. xi. 1. Chap. iv, 40.- Gal. iii. 19. Chap. xvii. 20, xxviii. 14; Joshua i. 7; xxiii. 6; Proverbs iv. 27. P Chap. x. 12; Psa, cxix. 6; Jer. vii. 23; Luke i. 6.4 Chap iv. 40; Exod. xx. 12.

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never gave a commandment to man which he did not design that he should obey. He who selects from the Divine testimonies such precepts as he feels but little inclination to transgress, and lives in the breach of others, síns against the grand legislative authority of God, and shall be treated as a rebel.

That ye may live] in ticheyun, that ye may enjoy life, (for the paragogic nun, at the end of the word, deepens the sense,) that it may be well with you,

11 vetob lachem, and good shall be to you-God will prosper you in all things essential to the welfare of your bodies, and the salvation of your souls.

That ye may prolong your days in the land] That ye may arrive at a good old age, and grow more and more meet for the inheritance among the saints in light.

On this very important verse we may remark, a long life is a great blessing, if a man live to God, because it is in life, and in life alone, that a preparation for eternal glory may be acquired. Those who wish to die soon, have never yet learned to live, and know not the value of life or time. Many have a vain hope that they shall get either in death, or in the other world, a preparation for glory. This is a fatal error. Here, alone, we may acquaint ourselves with God, and receive that holiness without which none can see him. Reader, be thankful to him that thou art still in a state of probation; and pray that thou mayest live for

Verse 33. Ye shall walk in all the ways, &c.] God eternity..

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The great design of God

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DEUTERONOMY.

CHAPTER VI.

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in giving his laws.

The great design of God in giving his laws is, that the people may fear and obey him, that they may continue in peace and prosperity, and be mightily increased, 1-3. The great commandment of the law, 4, 5, which shall be laid up in their hearts, 6; taught to their children, 7; and affixed as a sign to their hands, heads, doors, and gates, 8, 9. How they are to act when they shall come into the promised land, 10-19. How they shall instruct their children, and relate the history to them of God's wonderful acts, 20-25. NOW TOW these are the command- life; and that thy days may be ments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

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NOTES ON CHAP. VÍ.
Verse 1. Now these are the commandments, &c.]
See the difference between commandments, statutes,
judgments, &c., pointed out Lev. xxvi. 15.

Do them] That is, live in the continual practice of them; for by this, they were to be distinguished from all the nations of the world, and all these were to be in force till the Son of God should come. Whither ye go, y oberim, whither ye pass over, referring to the river Jordan, across which they must pass to get into Canaan.

Verse 2. That thou mightest fear the Lord] Respect his sovereign authority as a lawgiver, and ever feel thyself bound to obey him. No man can walk either conscientiously or safely who has not the fear of God continually before his eyes. When this is gone, more than a guardian angel is fled.

Thou, and thy son, and thy son's son] Through all thy successive generations. Whoever fears God will endeavour to bring up his children in the way of righteousness, that they also may fear God, and that pure and undefiled religion may be preserved in his family through all its generations, not only in word, but in practice also.

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3 Hear therefore,. O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath pro mised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

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nnn shema Yisrael, Yehovah Eloheinu, Yehovah achaD. These words may be variously rendered into English; but almost all possible verbal varieties in the translation (and there can be none other) amount to the same sense: "Israel, hear! Jehovah, our God, is one Jehovah ;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one ;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone;" or, "Jehovah is our God, Jehovah who is one;" or, "Jehovah, who is our God, is the one Being." On this verse the Jews lay great stress; it is one of the four passages which they write on their phylacteries, and they write the last letter in the first and last words very large, for the purpose of exciting attention to the weighty truth it contains. It is perhaps in reference to this custom of the Jews that our blessed Lord alludes, Matt. xxii. 38; Mark xii. 29, 30, where he says, This is the first and great commandment; and this is nearly the comment that Maimonides gives on this place: "Hear, O Israel; because in these words the Verse 3. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to property, the love, and the doctrine of God are contained.” do it] Literally, Ye shall hear, O Israel, and thou. shalt keep to do them. 1. God is to be heard, no obligation without law to found it on, and no law in religion but from God. 2. The commandment must be understood in order to be obeyed. 3. It must be observed attentively considered, in order to be understood. And, 4. It must be performed, that the end for which it was given may be accomplished, viz., that GOD may be glorified, and that it may be well with the people. What is here spoken applies powerfully to every part of the moral law; God has given ir as a rule of life, therefore obedience to it is indispensably necessary, not to the purchase of salvation, for no human merit can ever extend to that, but it is the way by which both the justice and mercy of God choose to

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Many think that Moses teaches in these words the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity. It may be so; but if so, it is not more clearly done than in the first verse of Genesis, to which the reader is referred. When this passage occurs in the Sabbath readings in the synagogue, the whole congregation repeat the last word The achad for several minutes together with the loudest vociferations: this I suppose they do to vent a little of their spleen against the Christians, for they suppose the latter hold three Gods, because of their doctrine of the Trinity; but all their skill and cunning can never prove that there is not a plurality expressed in the word 'n Eloheinu, which is translated our God; and were the Christians, when reading this verse, to vociferate Eloheinu for several minutes as

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with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt m teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

never to be forgotten.

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9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and An. Ex. Isr. 40. on thy gates.

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10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, P which thou buildedst not,

11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD,

Psa. lxxviii. 4, 5, 6; Eph. vi. 4. m Heb. whet or sharpen. "Exod. xiii. 9, 16; ch. xi.18; Prov. iii. 3; vi. 21; vii. 3.————o Ch. xi. 20; Isa. lvii. 8.-P Josh. xxiv. 13; Psa. cv. 44.4 Ch. viii. 10, &c.

And when thou walkest by the way] Thou shalt be religious abroad as well as at home, and not be ashamed to own God wheresoever thou art.

When thou liest down, and when thou risest up.] Thou shalt begin and end the day with God, and thus religion will be the great business of thy life. O how good are these sayings, but how little regarded!

Chap. x. 12; Matt. xxii. 37; Mark xii. 30; Luke x. 27. 12 Kings xxiii. 25.- k Chap. xi. 18; xxxii. 46; Psa. xxxvii. 31; xl. 8; cxix. 11, 98; Prov. iii. 3; Isa. li. 7.- Ch. iv. 9; xi. 19; the Jews do achad, it would apply more forcibly in the way of conviction to the Jews of the plurality of persons in the Godhead, than the word achad, of one, against any pretended false tenet of Christianity, as every Christian receives the doctrine of the unity of God in the most conscientious manner. It is because of their rejection of this doctrine that the wrath of God continues to rest on them; for the doctrine of the Verse 8. Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine atonement cannot be received, unless the doctrine of hand] Is not this an allusion to an ancient and genethe Godhead of Christ is received too. Some Chris- ral custom observed in almost every part of the world? tians have joined the Jews against this doctrine, and When a person wishes to remember a thing of imporsome have even outdone them, and have put them-tance, and is afraid to trust to the common operations selves to extraordinary pains to prove that D of memory, he ties a knot on some part of his clothes, Elohim is a noun of the singular number! This has or a cord on his hand or finger, or places something not yet been proved. It would be as easy to prove out of its usual order, and in view, that his memory that there is no plural in language. may be whetted to recollection, and his eye affect his heart. God, who knows how slow of heart we are to understand, graciously orders us to make use of every help, and through the means of things sensible, to rise to things spiritual.

Verse 5. Thou shalt love the Lord, &c.] Here we see the truth of that word of the apostle, 1 Tim. i. 5: Now the END of the COMMANDMENT is Love out of a pure heart, &c. See the whole of the doctrine contained in this verse explained on Matt. xxii. 36-40. Verse 6. Shall be in thine heart] For where else can love be? If it be not in the heart, it exists not. And if these words be not in the heart—if they are not esteemed, prized, and received as a high and most glorious privilege, what hope is there that this love shall ever reign there?

Verse 7. Thou shalt teach them diligently] on shinnantam, from 1 shanan, to repeat, iterate, or do a thing again and again; hence to whet or sharpen any instrument, which is done by reiterated friction or grinding. We see here the spirit of this Divine injunction. God's testimonies must be taught to our children, and the utmost diligence must be used to make them understand them. This is a most difficult task; and it requires much patience, much prudence, much judgment, and much piety in the parents, to enable them to do this good, this most important work, in the best and most effectual manner. See at the end of this chapter.

And shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house] Thou shalt have religion at home, as well as in the temple and tabernacle. . ( 49 )

VOL. I.

And they shall be as frontlets] П totaphoth seems to have the same meaning as phylacteries has in the New Testament; and for the meaning and description of these appendages to a Jew's dress and to his religion, see the notes on Exod. xiii. 9, and on Matt. xxiii. 5, where a phylactery is particularly described.

Verse 9. Write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.] The Jews, forgetting the spirit and design of this precept, used these things as superstitious people do amulets and charms, and supposed, if they had these passages of Scripture written upon slips of pure parchment, wrapped round their foreheads, tied to their arm, or nailed to their door-posts, that they should then be delivered from every evil! And how much better are many Christians, who keep a Bible in their house merely that it may keep the devil out; and will have it in their rooms, or under their pillows, to ward off spirits and ghosts in the night? How ingenious is the heart of man to find out every wrong way, and to miss the right!

Verse 12. Beware lest thou forget the Lord] · In earthly prosperity men are apt to forget heavenly things. While the animal senses have every thing

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15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you;) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

r Heb. bondmen or servants.-5 Chap. x. 12, 20; xiii. 4; Matt. iv. 10; Luke iv. 8. Psa. lxiii. 11; Isa. xlv. 23; lxv. 16; Jer. iv. 2; v. 7; xii. 16." Chap. viii. 19; xi. 28; Jer. xxv. 6. Chap. xiii. 7.

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16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted An. Ex. Isr. 40. him in Massah.

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17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

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18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD Sware unto thy fathers,

w Exodus xx. 5; chap. iv. 24. Chap. vii. 4; xi. 17. y Matt. iv. 7; Luke iv. 12.—2 Exod. xvii. 2, 7; Num. xx. 3, 4; xxi. 4, 5; 1 Cor. x. 9. Chap. xi. 13, 22; Psa. cxix. 4. b Exod. xv. 26; chap. xii. 28; xiii. 18.

truth of the matter in question: and when a religious man takes such an oath, he gives full and reasonable satisfaction that the thing is so, as stated; for it is ever to be presumed that no man, unless in a state of the deepest degradation, would make such an appeal falsely, for this would imply an attempt to make God a party in the deception.

they can wish, it is difficult for the soul to urge its in any case of promise, &c., gave full and sufficient seway to heaven; the animal man is happy, and the de-curity for the performance; and if done in evidence, sires of the soul are absorbed in those of the flesh. or to the truth of any particular fact, it gave full secuGod knows this well; and therefore, in his love to rity for the truth of that evidence. An oath, thereman, makes comparative poverty and frequent afflic-fore, is an appeal to God, who knows all things, of the tion his general lot. Should not every soul therefore magnify God for this lot in life? "Before I was afflicted," says David, "I went astray;" and had it not been for poverty and affliction, as instruments in the hands of God's grace, multitudes of souls now happy in heaven would have been wretched in hell. It is not too much to speak thus far; because we ever see that the rich and the affluent are generally negligent of God and the interests of their souls. It must however be granted that extreme poverty is as injurious to religion as excessive affluence. Hence the wisdom as well as piety of Agur's prayer, Prov. xxx. 7-9 "Give me neither poverty nor riches, lest I be full and deny thee, or lest I be poor and steal," &c.

Verse 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God] Thou shalt respect and reverence him as thy Lawgiver and Judge; as thy Creator, Preserver, and the sole object of thy religious adoration.

And serve him] Our blessed Lord, in Matt. iv. 10; Luke iv. 8, quotes these words thus: And him ONLY (avτw μovo) shalt thou serve. It appears, therefore, that 17 lebaddo was anciently in the Hebrew text, as it was and is in the SEPTUAGINT, (avτ μove,) from which our Lord quoted it. The COPTIC preserves the same reading; so do also the VULGATE, (illi soli,) and the ANGLO-SAXON, (peopа him anum): Dr. Kennicott argues, that without the word only the text would not have been conclusive for the purpose for which our Lord advanced it; for as we learn from Scripture that some men worshipped false gods in conjunction with the true, the quotation here would not have been full to the point without this exclusive word. be proper to observe that the omitted word 17 lebaddo, retained in the above versions, does not exist in the Hebrew printed text, nor in any MS. hitherto discovered.

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Verse 14. Ye shall not go after other gods] The object of religious worship among every people, whether that object be true or false, is ever considered as the pattern or exemplar to his worshippers.. Christians are termed the followers of God; they take God for their pattern, and walk-act, as he does. Hence we see the meaning of the terms in this verse: Ye shall not go after-ye shall not take false gods for your patterns. The Canaanites, Greeks, Romans, &c., were a most impure people, because the objects of their worship were impure, and they went after them, i. e., were like their gods. This serves to show us that such as our Redeemer is, such should we be; and indeed this is the uniform language of God to man: Be ye holy, for I am holy, Lev. xxi. 8; Be ye perfect, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect, Matt. v. 48. Do not

Verse 15. A jealous God]. Jehovah has betrothed you to himself as a bride is to her husband. be unfaithful, else that love wherewith he has now distinguished you shall assume the form of jealousy, and so divorce and consume you.

Verse 16. Ye shall not tempt the Lord] Ye shall not provoke him by entertaining doubts of his mercy, goodness, providence, and truth.

As ye tempted him in Massah.] How did they tempt him in Massah? They said, Is the Lord among us or not? Exod. xvii. 1-7. After such proofs as they had of his presence and his kindness, this was exceedingly provoking. Doubting God's kindness where there are so many evidences of it, is highly insulting to God Almighty.

Verse 17. Ye shall diligently keep, &c.] On this and the following verse see the note on ver. 3. ( 49 )

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