CHAP. II. SECT. IV. SECTION IV. Of the Journeyings of the Israelites from Mount 1. and occur rences, that afterwards ALL the remaining part of the book of Exodus, from chap xix. inclusively, and the whole book of A short acLeviticus, and the nine first chapters, together with count of the the former part of the tenth chapter of the book transactions of Numbers, are taken up with an account of what was transacted at mount Sinai. At ver. 11, 12. of happened chap. x. of the book of Numbers, we read that from the Ison the twentieth day of the second month, in the raelites desecond camping year, (namely, from the Israelites coming from mount out of Egypt,) the cloud was taken up from off the Sinai, till tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of their de Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of camping Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of from KaParan. In the following chapter we are acquainted desh-barwith God's punishing the Israelites, for their mur- pea. murings and lustings, with a fire which consumed some of them, and also with a very great plague, which took off others. On account of the former sad occurrence, the name of the place where it happened was called Taberah, i. e. burning, ver. 3; and, on account of the latter, the place whère it happened was called Kibroth-hattaavah, i. e. the graves of lust, because there they buried the people that lusted, ver. 34. In the next and last verse of this chap. xi. we read, that the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth. Here Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses, because of the Cushite or Arabian woman whom he had married, Miriam was punished with leprosy; and hereupon, by God's command, shut out from the camp seven days. After which, the Israelites removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilder PART II. ness of Paran. This is the sum of Num. xii. In chap. xiii. we are informed, that Moses, by the commandment of the Lord, sent men from the wilderness of Paran to search the land of Canaan, ver. 1, 2. And ver. 25, 26, we read, that the men, that were sent, returned from searching of the land after forty days, and came to Moses-untó the wilderness of Paran, to Cadesh. Being returned, they all but Joshua and Caleb gave such an account of the strength of the Canaanites, as disheartened the rest of the Israelites from thinking they should ever become masters of it, as God had promised them. By this their infidelity, God was so justly provoked, that he swore in his wrath, that none of all the Israelites, from twenty years old and upwards, should live to come into the land of Canaan, save Joshua and Caleb. As for the rest, they should die in the wilderness, and their children should wander in the wilderness forty years, after the number of the days in which the spies searched the land of Canaan. And as for those spies, that brought up the evil report upon the land, they died by the plague before the Lord, ch. xiv. 37. But notwithstanding God had thus plainly and positively denounced the punishment they were to undergo for their infidelity, yet they, according to their wonted obstinacy and perverseness, rose up early in the morning, with a resolution to make forward for to enter into the land of Canaan. And no dissuasions of Moses being able to prevail upon them, they presumed to go up unto the hill top. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them unto Hormah. This is the sum of chap. xiv. of the book of Numbers. In Deut. i. 19-46. Moses repeats in short these same transactions; and adds particularly, that the Israelites having received this defeat from the Amalekites and Canaanites at Hormah, thereupon they returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to their voice, nor give ear unto them, namely, as to enable them to overcome the Canaanites, and to enter forthwith into the pro- CHAP. II. mised Land. Wherefore having found to their SECT. IV. cost, that it was in vain for them to attempt the same without the divine permission or assistance, they were forced at length to submit to the judgment they had brought upon themselves by their infidelity; and so, laying aside all thoughts of entering into Canaan, and having abode in Kadesh many days, they turned, and took their journey into the wilderness, by the way of the Red sea; as God had commanded them. Deut. i. 46. and ii. 1. compared with Num. xiv. 25. 2. rah, Ki Having thus laid together the historical part of the journeys of the Israelites from mount Sinai to Of TabeKadesh, we must now speak a little more distinctly broth-hatas to the geographical part of them. As for taaval, and Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah, they are never Hazeroth. mentioned in Scripture, but in relation to the Israelites marching from Sinai to Kadesh, and so nothing more can be certainly said of them, than that they lay not far from mount Sinai, in the way thence to Kadesh, and so to the north or northeast of mount Sinai. Hazeroth is more frequently mentioned in sacred writ, but so as that little more of certainty can be grounded thereon, as to the particular situation of the place. It is probably. enough supposed to be the same with Hazerim, wherein the Avims are said (Deut. ii. 23.) to have dwelt, even unto Azzah or Gaza. That Kibrothhattaavah lay without the desert of Sinai, is plainly to be inferred from Num. xxxiii. 16. where it is said, that they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah. And it is as plain that Hazeroth lay without the wilderness of Paran, at least more properly so called. For it being said, Num. xii. 16. that the Israelites removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wiklerness of Paran, this plainly implies, that Hazeroth was not in the wilderness of Paran, at least in the sense it is there taken in. 3. To proceed to the wilderness of Paran itself; there is frequent mention made of it in the sacred Of the wil PART II. history. The first place is Gen, xxi. 21. where we are informed, that Ishmael settled himself in derness of this wilderness, or mountainous and less fruitful Paran. and inhabited tract. Whence by the way it may be observed, that since we no where read, that the Ishmaelites went about to stop or molest the Israelites in their marches, but suffered them to march through their country quietly, they were probably more kindly affected towards the Israelites, than the descendants of Edom and Esau, particularly than the Amalekites. The wilderness of Paran seems to have been a name taken in a larger and stricter sense. In the larger sense it seems to have denoted all the desert and mountainous tract lying between the wilderness of Shur westward, or towards Egypt, and mount Seir, or the land of Edom eastward; between the land of Canaan northwards, and the Red sea southwards. And in this sense it seems to have comprehended under it the wilderness of Sin, and the wilderness of Sinai, as also the adjoining tract, wherein lay Kibroth-hattaavah and Hazeroth. And in the same sense of it is probably to be understood Deut. i. 19. where it is said: When we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites-and we came to Kadesh-barnea. Where by that great and terrible wilderness is probably to be understood the wilderness of Paran in its larger acceptation. For in its stricter acceptation it seems not to have been so great and terrible a wilderness, namely, as it is taken to denote more peculiarly that part of the desert of Stony Arabia, which lies between mount Sinai and Hazeroth to the west, and mount Seir to the east. It remains only to observe further, that since we find a city in these parts near the Red sea, called Pharan, it may probably be supposed, that this gave name to the adjacent wilderness of Paran or Pharan. CHAP. 11. SECT. V. SECTION V. Of the Journeyings of the Israelites from their leaving Kadesh-barnea, to their coming to Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin. 1. THE Israelites having by their infidelity, as has been observed in the foregoing section, provoked KadeshGod to swear, and so irrevocably to decree, that barnea a none of them, that were then above twenty years distinct of place from age, should enter into Canaan, save Joshua and Kadesh in Caleb, but should die in the wilderness; hereupon the wilderthey were commanded by God to turn and get ness of Zin. them again into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. Num. xiv. 25. Accordingly Moses expressly tells us, Deut. ii. 1-4. that the Israelites turned, and took their journey into the wilderness,, by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spake unto him: and they compassed Mount Seir many days. And the Lord spake unto me, adds Moses, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough; turn you northward. And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir, &c. In the book of Numbers, after that Moses has observed, (chap. xiv. 25.) that God, upon the infidelity of the Israelites, commanded them to turn, and get them again into the wilderness by the way of the Rea Sea, he does not expressly take notice that they did so turn back, but in the five following chapters, viz. from chap. xv. to xix. inclusively, he proceeds to take notice of some laws and rites prescribed by God, and of the great rebellion of Korah and his companions. After which chap. xx. begins thus: Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin, in the first month; and the people abode in Kadesh. By which words is plainly implied, (what is expressly said, Deut.. |