house for they be come to search A. M. 2553. 5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out whither the men went, I wot not pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. on the top of the house. A. M. 2553. 9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given An. Exod. Isr. 40. you the land, and that your ter- Anno ante ror is fallen upon us, and that all I. Olymp. 675. the inhabitants of the land 'faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD m dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard these things, P our hearts did melt, neither a did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I pray you, me by the LORD, since I have showed you S swear unto 8 And before they were laid down, she kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto came up unto them my father's house, and " give me a true token : upon the roof; b See 2 Sam. xvii, 19, 20.—i See Exod. i. 17; 2 Sam. xvii. 19. * Gen. xxxv. 5; Exod. xxiii. 27; Deut. ii. 25; xi, 25.—1Heb. melt; Exod. xv. 15.- -m Exod. xiv. 21; ehap. iv. 23. Num. t at once have sent officers to have seized the persons houses in the east were made flat-roofed; for which lodged with her as vagabonds; but if she kept a house a law is given Deut. xxii. 8. On these flat roofs the of entertainment, the persons under her roof were sa- Asiatics to this day walk, converse, and oftentimes cred, according to the universal custom of the Asiatics, even sleep and pass the night. It is probable that this and could not be molested on any trifling grounds. A hiding was after that referred to in the fourth verse. guest or a friend is sacred in whatever house he may be received, in every part of the east to the present day. Verse 4. And hid them] Probably she secreted them for the time being in some private corner, till she had the opportunity of concealing them on the housetop in the manner mentioned ver. 6. Verse 5. When it was dark] So it appears that it was after night that the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, ordering her to produce the persons who lodged with her. The season itself was friendly to the whole plot: had these transactions taken place in day-light, it is scarcely possible that the spies could have escaped. But this is no excuse for the woman's prevarication; for God could have saved his messengers independently of her falsity. God never says to any, Do evil that good may come of it. See at the end of the chapter. Verse 6. Hid them with the stalks of flax] It is a matter of little consequence whether we translate 'n ryn pistey haets stalks of flax, or stalks of hemp: the word ry ets, which signifies wood, serves to show that whether it was hemp or flax, it was in its rough, unmanufactured state; and as this was about the season, viz., the end of March or the beginning of April, in which the flax is ripe in that country, consequently Rahab's flax might have been recently pulled, and was now drying on the roof of her house. The reader may find some useful remarks upon this subject in Harmer's Observations, vol. iv., p. 97, &c. Upon the roof.] Verse 9. I know that the Lord hath given you the band] It is likely she had this only from conjecture, having heard of their successes against the Amorites, their prodigious numbers, and seeing the state of terror and dismay to which the inhabitants of her own land were reduced. Verse 11. He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.] This confession of the true God is amazingly full, and argues considerable light and information, As if she had said, "I know your God to be omnipotent and omnipresent:" and in consequence of this faith she hid the spies, and risked her own life in doing it. But how had she this clear knowledge of the Divine nature? 1. Possibly the knowledge of the true God was general in the earth at this time, though connected with much superstition and idolatry; the people believing that there was a god for every district, and for every people; for the mountains and for the valley's; see 1 Kings xx. 23. 2. Or she received this instruction from the spies, with whom she appears to have had a good deal of conversation; or, 3. She had it from a supernatural influence of God upon her own soul. She probably made a better use of the light she had received than the rest of her countrymen, and God increased that light. Verse 12. Swear unto me by the Lord] This is a farther proof that this woman had received considerable instruction in the Jewish faith; she acknowledged the true God by his essential character Jehovah; and We have already seen that all the knew that an oath in his name was the deepest and 15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. 17 And the men said unto her, We will be y blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear; 18 z Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by : a and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. most solemn obligation under which a Jew could possibly come. Does not this also refer to the command of God, Thou shalt fear the Lord, and shalt swear by his name? See the note on Deut. vi. 13. Verse 13. Deliver our lives from death.] She had learned, either from the spies or otherwise, that all the inhabitants of the land were doomed to destruction, and therefore she obliges them to enter into a covenant with her for the preservation of herself and her household. Verse 14. Our life for yours] "May our life be destroyed if we suffer yours to be injured!" This is what was anciently called in our country pledging— staking, a man's life for that of his neighbour or friend. Verse 15. Then she let them down by a cord, &c.] The natural place of this verse is after the first clause of ver. 21; for it is certain that she did not let them down in the basket till all those circumstances marked from ver. 16 to 20 inclusive had taken place. She dwelt upon the wall.] That is, either the wall of the city made a part of her house or her house was built close to the wall, so that the top or battlements of it were above the wall, with a window that looked out to the country. As the city gates were now shut there was no way for the spies to escape but through this window; and in order to this she let them down and return unto Joshua. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. 40. Anno ante 19 And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of An. Exod. Isr. thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and 1. Olymp. 675. we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head if any hand be upon him. C 20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 21 And she said, According unto your words, And she sent them away, and they and she bound the scarlet line in so be it. departed the window. © Matthew xxvii. 25. 2 Sam. xvii. 20; Psa. xxxii. 6: e Exodus xxiii. 31; chap. vi. 2; xxi. 44.- Heb. melt; verse 9. through the window in a basket suspended by a cord, till they reached the ground on the outside of the wall. Verse 16. Hide yourselves there three days] They were to travel by night, and hide themselves in the day-time; otherwise they might have been discovered by the pursuers who were in search of them. Verse 18. This line of scarlet thread] tikvath chut hashshani. Probably this may mean, this piece of scarlet cloth, or, this cloth (made) of scarlet thread. When the Israelites took the city this piece of red cloth seems to have been hung out of the window by way of flag; and this was the sign on which she and the spies had agreed. Verse 20. If thou utter this our business] It was prudent to make her life depend on her secresy; had it been otherwise she might have been tempted to give information, not only concerning the spies, but concerning the designs of the Israelites. But her life being at stake, added to every other motive, she kept the secret for the sake of her own personal safety and that of all her relatives. Verse 23. So the two men returned] Having concealed themselves in the mountains that night, all the next day, and the night ensuing, on the third day they returned to Joshua. Verse 24. Truly the Lord hath delivered into our 1. It may be asked, Did not Rahab lie in the account she gave to the officers of the king of Jericho, (ver. 4, 5,) There came men unto me, &c.? I answer, She certainly did; and the inspired writer sets down the fact merely as it stood, without making the Spirit of God responsible for the dissimulation of the woman. But was she not rewarded, &c. ? Yes; for her hospitality and faith, not for her lie. But could she have saved the spies without telling a lie? Yes, she certainly might; but what notion could a woman of her occupation, though nothing worse than an inn-keeper, have of the nicer distinctions between truth and falsehood, living among a most profligate and depraved people, where truth could scarcely be known? But 2. There is a lax morality in the world that recommends a lie rather than the truth, when the purposes of religion and humanity can be served by it. when can this be? The religion of Christ is one eternal system of truth, and can neither be served by a lie nor admit of one. On this vile subject fine words have been spoken. Tasso, in his elegant episode of Sophronia and Olindo, in the Gerusalemme Liberata, b. ii., v. 22, represents the former as telling a lie to Saladdin, relative to the stealing of an image, for which, as he could not discover the culprit, he doomed all the Christians in his power to death. Sophronia, a pious Christian virgin, getting into the presence of the tyrant, in order to save her people, accuses herself, though perfectly innocent, of the theft. Her conduct on this occasion the poet embellishes in the following manner, for which the religion of that time, which dealt in holy frauds, would no doubt applaud him. "Ed ella: il reo si trova al tuo cospetto; Cosi al pubblico fato il capo altero preceding chapter. Then she "Before thy sight the guilty stands; Thus, filled with public zeal, the generous dame A victim for her people's ransom came. O great deceit ! O lie divinely fair! Thus a lie is ornamented with splendid decorations both by the Italian and English poet, and the whole formed into an anti-apostolic maxim, Let us do EVIL, that GOOD may come of it. A purer morality was taught by one of the most ancient heathen writers than is here preached by these demi-christians :— Εχθρος γαρ μοι κείνος, όμως αίδαο πυλησιν, My soul detests him as the gates of hell, The following is the advice of a genuine Christian poet, and one of the holiest men of his time : LIE not; but let thy heart be true to God; For other observations on this subject, see the notes on Gen. xii. at the end, and xx. 12. 3. Though the hand of God was evidently in every thing that concerned the Israelites, and they were taught to consider that by his might alone they were to be put in possession of the promised land; yet they were as fully convinced that if they did not use the counsel, prudence, and strength which they had received from him, they should not succeed. Hence, while they depended on the Divine direction and power, they exercised their own prudence, and put forth their own strength; and thus they were workers together with him, and did not receive the grace of God in vain. The application of this maxim is easy; and we cannot expect any success, either in things spiritual or temporal, unless we walk by the same rule, and mind the same thing. CHAPTER III. The Israelitish camp removes from Shittim to Jordan, 1. The officers inform them how they are to pass the river, and the distance they are to keep from the ark, 2-4. Joshua directs the people, 5, 6; and the Lord gives directions to Joshua, 7, 8. He delivers the Lord's message to the people, and foretells the miraculous passage and division of Jordan, 9–13. The priests, bearing the ark, enter the river, and immediately the waters are cut off, and the priests stand on dry ground, in the bed of the river, till all the camp passes over, 14-17. 14 NOTES ON CHAP. III. Verse 1. Joshua rose early] Archbishop Usher supposes that this was upon Wednesday, the 28th of April, A. M. 2553, the fortieth year after the exodus from Egypt. From Shittim, where they had lately been encamped, to Jordan, was about sixty stadia, according to Josephus; that is, about eight English miles. Verse 2. After three days] These three days are probably to be thus understood: As soon as Joshua took the command of the army, he sent the spies to ascertain the state of Jericho; as we have seen chap. i. 12. They returned at the end of three days, or rather on the third day, and made their report. It was at this time, immediately on the return of the spies, that he made the proclamation mentioned here; in consequence of which the people immediately struck their tents, and marched forward to Jordan. chap. vii. 13; 1 Sam. xvi. 5; Joel ii. 16. Num. iv Chap. iv. 14; 1 Chron. xxix. 25; 2 Chron. i. 1.— Chap Ver, 3.- Ver. 17. of the Levites, the sons of Kohath, to carry the ark; yet on certain occasions the priests alone performed this office. 1. In the present case. 2. When they encompassed Jericho, chap. vi. 6. 3. When it was carried to the war against the Philistines by the priests, the sons of Eli, 2 Sam. xv. 25. 4. When David sent it back to Jerusalem, at the time he was obliged to fly from it, through the rebellion of his son Absalom, 2 Sam. xv. 25; and, 5. At the time that it was taken out of the tabernacle, to be deposited in the temple; see 1 Kings viii. 6–11. These were the most solemn occasions, and on such alone, we may presume, the priests performed this office instead of the Leviles. In all their former marches the ark was carried in the centre of this immense camp; (see the scheme at the end of chap. ii. of the book of Numbers ;) but now it Verse 4. About two thousand cubits] This distance was to proceed at the head of the army, and to go before they were to keep, 1. For the greater respect, because them, and at such a distance, about three quarters of the presence of the ark was the symbol and pledge of a mile, that the whole camp might see it as their guide. the Divine presence. 2. That the ark, which was to Verse 7. This day will I begin to magnify thee] be their pilot over these waters, might be the more By making him the instrument in this miraculous pasconspicuous, which it could not have been had the peo-sage, he did him honour and gave him high credit in ple crowded upon it. Verse 5. Sanctify yourselves] What was implied in this command we are not informed; but it is likely that it was the same as that given by Moses, Exod. xix. 10-14. They were to wash themselves and their garments, and abstain from every thing that might indispose their minds from a profitable attention to the miracle about to be wrought in their behalf. Verse 6. Spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark] It is remarkable that the priests, not the Levites, whose ordinary business it was, were employed to carry the ark on this occasion. Calmet conjectures that this was because it was probably carried without being wrapped up in its curtains, as it always was when the Levites carried it. Though it was the business the sight of the people hence his authority was established, and obedience to him as their leader fully secured. What must have confirmed this authority was, his circumstantially foretelling how the waters should be cut off as soon as the feet of the priests had touched them, ver. 14. This demonstrated that the secret of the Lord was with him. Verse 8. Ye shall stand still in Jordan.] The priests proceeded first with the ark, and entered into the bed of the river, the course of which was imme diately arrested, the waters collecting above the place where the priests stood, while the stream fell off towards the Dead Sea; so that the whole channel below where the priests were standing became dry. The whole camp, therefore, passed over below where the Division of Jordan foretold. A. M. 2553. B. C. 1451. An. Exod. Isr. 40. Anno ante I. Olymp. 675. JOSHUA. Israel, Come hither, and hear the 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that "the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of P the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12 Now therefore I take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man; 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the n Deut. v. 26; 1 Sam. xvii. 26; 2 Kings xix. 4; Hos. i. 10; Matt. xvi. 16; 1 Thess. i. 9. -0 Exod. xxxiii. 2; Deut. vii. 1; Psa. xliv. 2.- Ver. 13; Mic. iv. 13; Zech. iv. 14; vi. 5.x Chap. iv. 2. Ver. 15, 16. Ver. 11, priests were standing, keeping at the distance of two thousand cubits from the ark; this they could readily do, as the whole bed of the river was dry for many miles below the place where the priests entered. Verse 10. Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you] The Israelites were apt to be discouraged, and to faint at even the appearance of danger; it was necessary, therefore, that they should have the fullest assurance of the presence and assistance of God in the important enterprise on which they were now entering. They are to combat idolaters, who have nothing to trust in and help them but gods of wood, stone, and metal: whereas they are to have the living God in the midst of them-HE who is the author of life and of being-who can give, or take it away, at his pleasure; and who by this miracle proved that he had undertaken to guide and defend them and Joshua makes this manifestation of God the proof that he will drive out the Hittites, Hivites, &c., before them. The priests enter with the ark A. M. 2553. 40. Anno ante earth, shall rest in the waters of t 14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the "ark of the covenant before the people; 15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for w Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap, very far from the city Adam, that is beside y Zaretan: and those that came down toward the Psa. lxxviii. 13; cxiy. 3.- Acts vii. 45.— v Ver. 12. w1 Chron, xii. 15; Jer. xii. 5; xlix. 19; Ecclus. xxiv. 26. Chap. iv. 18; v. 10, 12.—y 1 Kings iv. 12; vii. 46. Deut. iii. 17. Verse 12. Take you twelve men] See the note on chap. iv. 2. Verse 15. And the feet of the priests—were dipped in the brim of the water] Thus we find that every thing occurred exactly in the way in which Joshua had foretold it. This must have greatly increased his credit among the people. For Jordan overfloweth all his banks, &c.] It has often been remarked that there was no need of a miracle in crossing Jordan, as it is but an inconsiderable stream, easily fordable, being but about twenty yards in breadth. But the circumstance marked here by the sacred historian proves that there was a time in the year, viz., in the harvest, that this said river overflowed its banks; and this is confirmed by another place in Scripture, 1 Chron. xii. 15. As the miracle reported here took place about the beginning of April, a time in which rivers in general are less than in winter, it may be asked how there could be such an increase of waters at this time? The simple fact is, that the JorWith regard to the situation of each of these na- dan, as we have already seen, has its origin at the foot tions in the land of Canaan, Calmet remarks, that those of Mount Lebanon, which mountain is always covered called CANAANITES chiefly inhabited what is called Pha-with snow during the winter months; in those months nicia, the environs of Tyre and Sidon: the HITTITES occupied the mountains, southward of the promised land: the HIVITES dwelt by Ebal and Gerizim, Sichem and Gibeon, towards the mountains of Hermon: the PERIZZITES were probably not a distinct nation or tribe, but rather villagers, scattered through the country in general the Girgashites possessed the country beyond the Jordan, towards the lake of Gennesareth: the JEBUSITES possessed Jerusalem: and the AMORITES occupied the mountainous country in the vicinity of the western part of the Dead Sea, and also that part of the land of Moab which the Israelites conquered from Sihon and Og. therefore the river is low: but when the summer's sun has melted these snows, there is consequently a prodigious increase of waters, so that the old channel is not capable of containing them; this accounts for the statement in the text that the Jordan overfloweth his banks all the time of harvest; and this was the time which God chose they should pass over it, that a miraculous interposition might be necessary, and that by the miracle they should be convinced of his omnipotence, who was not only their guide, but had promised to put them in possession of this good land. Verse 16. Rose up upon a heap] That is, they continued to accumulate, filling up the whole of the |