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Joshua builds an altar, and

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side, before the priests the Le

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take his carcass down from the | cers, and their judges, stood on An. Exod Isr. tree, and cast it at the entering this side the ark, and on that An. Exod. Isr. of the gate of the city, and raise 1. Olymp. 675. thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

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covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, 30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the as he that was born among them; half of them LORD God of Israel w in Mount Ebal.

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over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them
over against Mount Ebal: as Moses the
servant of the LORD had commanded before,
that they should bless the people of Israel.
34 And afterward he read all the words of
the law, the blessings and cursings, according
to all that is written in the book of the law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses
commanded, which Joshua read not before all
the congregation of Israel, with the women,
and the little ones, and the strangers that
were conversant among them.

33 And all Israel, and their elders, and offi-h

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Verse 30 Then Joshua built an altar] This was done in obedience to the express command of God, Deut. xxvii. 4-8. See the notes there.

Verse 32. A copy of the law of Moses] mishneh torath, the repetition of the law; that is, a copy of the blessings and curses, as commanded, by Moses; not a copy of the Decalogue, as some imagine, nor of the book of Deuteronomy, as others think; much less of the whole Pentateuch; but merely of that part which contained the blessings and curses, and which was to be read on this solemn occasion. See the note on Deut. xxvii. 3.

© Deut. xi. 29; xxvii. 12.—d Deut. xxxi. 11; Neh. viii. 3. Deut. xxviii. 2, 15, 45; xxix. 20, 21, xxx. 19. Deut. xxxi. 12.- Ver. 33.h Heb. walked.

of the people; for this every ordinance of God is remarkable, as he ever causes the interest and duty of his followers to go hand in hand.

1. Ir may be asked, Seeing God promised to deliver Ai into the hands of the Israelites, why needed they to employ so many men and so many stratagems in order to its reduction? To this it may be answered, that God will have man to put forth the wisdom and power with which he has endued him, in every important purpose of life; that he endued him with those powers for this very end; and that it would be inconsistent with his gracious design so to help man at any time as to render the powers he had given him useless.

2. It is only in the use of lawful means that we have any reason to expect God's blessing and help. One of the ancients has remarked, "Though God has made man without himself, he will not save him without himself;" and therefore man's own concurrence of will, and co-operation of power with God, are essentially necessary to his preservation and salvation.

This co

Verse 33. Half of them over against Mount Geri-operation is the grand condition, sine qua non, on zim] See the arrangement of the whole of this business in the note and observations on Deut. xxvii. 26. And see also the notes on chap. xxviii. of the same book. Verse 35. With the women and the little ones] It was necessary that all should know that they were under the same obligations to obey; even the women are brought forward, not only because of their personal responsibility, but because to them was principally intrusted the education of the children. The children also witness this solemn transaction, that a salutary fear of offending God might be early, diligently, and deeply impressed upon their hearts. Thus every precaution is taken to ensure obedience to the Divine precepts, and consequently to promote the happiness

which God will help or save. But is not this " endeavouring to merit salvation by our own works?" No for this is impossible, unless we could prove that all the mental and corporeal powers which we possess came from and are of ourselves, and that we held them independently of the power and beneficence of our Creator; and that every act of these was of infinite. value, to make it an equivalent for the heaven we wished to purchase. Putting forth the hand to receive the alms of a benevolent man, can never be considered a purchase-price for the bounty bestowed. For ever shall that word stand true in all its parts, Christ is the AUTHOR of eternal salvation to all them that OBEY him, Heb. v. 9:

The Canaanitish kings

JOSHUA.

CHAPTER IX.

combine against the Israelites.

All the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, unite their forces against Joshua, 1, 2. The inhabitants of Gibeon, hearing what Joshua had done to Ai, sent ambassadors to him, feigning themselves to come from a very distant tribe, requesting a friendly alliance with him, 3–5. Their address to Joshua, and the means they used to deceive the Israelites, 6–13. The Israelitish elders are deceived, and make a league with them, which they confirm with an oath, 14, 15. After three days they are informed that the Gibeonites belong to the seven Canaanitish nations, yet they spare their cities, 16, 17. The congregation murmuring because of this, the elders excuse themselves because of their oath, 18, 19. They purpose to make the Gibeonites slaves to the congregation, 20, 21. Joshua calls them, and pronounces this sentence against them, 22, 23. They vindicate themselves, and submit to thei lot, 24, 25. They are spared, and made hewers of wood and drawers of water to the congregation and to the altar, 26, 27.

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a Numbers xxxiv. 6.- b Exodus iii. 17; xxiii. 23.- Psalm Heb. mouth. Chap. x. 2; 2 Sam. xxi. 1, 2. Chapter

lxxxiii. 3, 5.

NOTES ON CHAP. IX.

Verse 1. And it came to pass, when all the kingsheard thereof] From this account it appears that the capture and destruction of Jericho and Ai had been heard of to the remotest parts of the land, that a general fear of the Israelitish arms prevailed, and that the different dynasties or petty governments into which the land was divided, felt all their interests at stake, and determined to make the defence of their country a common cause. This was the most prudent step they could take in their circumstances, and therefore they entered into a confederation in order to arrest the progress of the Israelites. The Great Sea mentioned here is the Mediterranean Sea, the coasts of which were inhabited by the Phænicians, Tyrians, Sidonians, and Philistines. It is very likely that all these united with the Canaanites for their common safety.

Verse 3. The inhabitants of Gibeon heard] These alone did not join the confederation. Gibeon is supposed to have been the capital of the Hivites. In the division of the land it fell to the lot of Benjamin, chap. xviii. 25, and was afterwards given to the priests, chap. xxi. 17. See the note on chap. x. 2.

vi. 27.

did what any other nation would have done in their circumstances, and we have nothing to do with their example. Had they come to the Israelites, and simply submitted themselves without opposition and without fraud, they had certainly fared much better. Lying and hypocrisy always defeat their own purpose, and at best can succeed only for a short season. Truth and honesty never wear out. ▾

Old sacks and wine bottles, old, &c.] They pretended to have come from a very distant country, and that their sacks and the goat-skins that served them for carrying their wine and water in, were worn out by the length of the journey.

Verse 5. Old shoes and clouted] Their sandals, they pretended had been worn out by long and difficult travelling, and they had been obliged to have them frequently patched during the way; their garments also were worn thin; and what remained of their bread was mouldy-spotted with age, or, as our old version has it, bored-pierced with many holes by the vermin which had bred in it, through the length of the time it had been in their sacks; and this is the most literal meaning of the original p nikkudim, which means spotted or pierced with many holes.

Verse 4. They did work wilily] Finesse of this The old and clouted shoes have been a subject of kind is allowed by the conduct of all nations; and some controversy: the Hebrew word baloth sigstratagems in war are all considered as legal. Nine nifies worn out, from a balah, to wear away; and tenths of the victories gained are attributable to strata-non metullaoth, from tala, to spot or patch, gem; all sides practise them, and therefore none can i. e., spotted with patches. Our word clouted, in the condemn them. Much time and labour have been lost Anglo-Saxon geclutod signifies seemed up, patched; in the inquiry, "Did not the Gibeonites tell lies ?" Certainly they did, and what is that to us? Does the. word of God commend them for it? It does not. Are they held up to us as examples? Surely no. They

from clut a clout, rag, or small piece of cloth, used for piecing or patching. But some suppose the word here comes from clouet, the diminutive of clou, a small nail, with which the Gibeonites had fortified the soles

The Gibeonites deceive

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6 And they went to Joshua 11 Wherefore our elders and all 8 unto the camp at Gilgal, and the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals ° with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants : therefore now make ye a league with us.

Anno ante said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a now therefore make ye a league

far country with us.

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7 And the men of Israel said unto the vites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; how shall we make a league with you? 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants.. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

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9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come, because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have m heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt.

10 And" and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

Chap. v. 10.- h Chap. xi. 19.-—i Exod. xxiii. 32; Deut. vii. 2; xx. 16; Judg. ii: 2.— Deut. xx. 11; 2 Kings x. 5. Deut. xx. 15,- Exod. xv. 14; Josh. ii; 10. Num. xxi. 24, 33. Heb. in your hand.

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12 This our bread we took hot for our provision, out of our houses, on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments, and our shoes, are become old by reason of the very long journey. 14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

16 And it came to pass at the end of three

P Or, they received the men by reason of their victugls.- - Num., xxvii. 21; Isa. xxx. 1, 2; see Judg. i. 1; 1 Sam. xxii. 10; xxiii. 10, 11; xxx. 8; 2 Sam. ii. 1; v. 19.- Chap. xi. 19; 2 Sam. xxi. 2.

knowing that they could not stand where such mighty forces had fallen, wished to make the Israelites their

of their shoes, to prevent them from wearing out in so long a journey; but this seems very unlikely; and our old English term clouted-seamed or patched-friends. This part of their relation was strictly true. expresses the spirit of the Hebrew word.

Verse 6. Make ye a league with us.]

kirethu lanu berith, cul, or divide, the covenant sacrifice with us. From this it appears that heathenism at this time had its sacrifices, and covenants were ratified by sacrificing to and invoking the objects of their adoration.

Verse 7. Peradventure ye dwell among us] It is strange they should have had such a suspicion, as the Gibeonites had acted so artfully; and it is as strange that, having such a suspicion, they acted with so little caution.

Verse 8. We are thy servants.]. This appears to have been the only answer they gave to the question of the Israelitish elders, and this they gave to Joshua, not to them, as they saw that Joshua was commanderin-chief of the host.

Who are ye? and from whence come ye?] To these questions, from such an authority, they felt themselves obliged to give an explicit answer; and they do it very artfully by a mixture of truth, falsehood, and hypocrisy. Verse 9. Because of the name of the Lord thy God] They pretend that they had undertaken this journey on a religious account; and seem to intimate that they had the highest respect for Jehovah, the object of the Israelites' worship; this was hypocrisy.

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We have heard the fame of him] This was true: the wonders which God did in Egypt, and the discomfiture of Sihon and Og, had reached the whole land of Canaan; and it was on this account that the inhabitants of it were panic-struck. The Gibeonites,

Verse 11. Wherefore our elders, &c.] All this, and what follows to the end of verse 13, was false, contrived merely for the purpose of deceiving the Israelites, and this they did to save their own lives; as they expected all the inhabitants of Canaan to be put to the sword.

Verse 14. The men took of their victuals] This was done in all probability in the way of friendship; for, from time immemorial to the present day, eating together, in the Asiatic countries, is considered a token of unalterable friendship; and those who eat even salt together, feel themselves bound thereby in a perpetual covenant. But the marginal reading of this clause should not be hastily rejected.

And asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.] They made the covenant with the Gibeonites without consulting God by Urim and Thummim, which was highly reprehensible in them, as it was a state transaction in which the interests and honour of God their king were intimately concerned.

Verse 15. Joshua made peace with them] Joshua agreed to receive them into a friendly connection with the Israelites, and to respect their lives and properties; and the elders of Israel bound themselves to the observance of it, and confirmed it with an oath. As the same words are used here as in verse 6, we may suppose that the covenant was made in the ordinary way, a sacrifice being offered on the occasion, and its blood poured out before the Lord. See on Gen. xv. 10, &c.

Verse 16. At the end of three days] Gibeon is reputed to be only about eight leagues distant from

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days after they had made a league | LORD God of Israel: now therewith them, that they heard that fore we may not touch them. they were their neighbours, and 20 This we will do to them; I. Olymp. 675. that they dwelt among them. we will even let them live, lest 17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.

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18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the

Chap. xviii. 25, 26, 28; Ezra iì. 25. Eccles. v. 2; Psa. XV. 4.u See 2 Sam. xxi. 1, 2, 6; Ezek. xvii. 13, 15, 18, 19; Gilgal, and on this account the fraud might be easily discovered in the time mentioned above.

Verse 17. The children of Israel-came unto their cities] Probably when the fraud was discovered, Joshua sent out a detachment to examine their country, and to see what use could be made of it in the prosecution of their war with the Canaanites. Some of the cities mentioned here were afterwards in great repute among the Israelites ;. and God chose to make one of them, Kirjath-jearim, the residence of the ark of the covenant for twenty years, in the reigns of Saul and David. There is no evidence that the preservation of the Gibeonites was displeasing to Jehovah.

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21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them behewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

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stood as rather referring to the destruction of the political existence of the Canaanitish nations, than to the destruction of their lives. See the notes on Deut. xx. 10, 17.

Verse 21. Hewers of wood and drawers of water] Perhaps this is a sort of proverbial expression, signifying the lowest state of servitude, though it may also be understood literally. See below.

Verse 23. Now therefore ye are cursed] Does not this refer to what was pronounced by Noah, Gen. ix. 25, against Ham and his posterity? Did not the curse of Ham imply slavery, and nothing else? Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be; and does it not sufficiently appear that nothing else than per

Verse 18. All the congregation murmured] Merely because they were deprived of the spoils of the Gibe-petual slavery is implied in the curse of the Gibeononites.

They had now got under the full influence of a predatory spirit; God saw their proneness to this, and therefore, at particular times, totally interdicted the spoils of conquered cities, as in the case of Jericho. Verse 19. We have sworn unto them] Although the Israelites were deceived in this business, and the covenant was made on a certain supposition which was afterwards proved to have had no foundation in truth, and consequently the whole engagement on the part of the deceived was hereby vitiated and rendered null and void; yet, because the elders had eaten with them, offered a covenant sacrifice, and sworn by Jehovah, they did not consider themselves at liberty to break the terms of the agreement, as far as the lives of the Gibeonites were concerned. That their conduct in this respect was highly pleasing to God is evident from this, that Joshua is nowhere reprehended for making this covenant, and sparing the Gibeonites; and that Saul, who four hundred years after this thought himself and the Israelites loosed from this obligation, and in consequence oppressed and destroyed the Gibeon ites, was punished for the breach of this treaty, being considered as the violator of a most solemn oath and covenant engagement. See 2 Sam. xxi. 2-9, and Ezek. xvii. 18, 19.

All these circumstances laid together, prove that the command to destroy the Canaanites was not so absolute as is generally supposed and should be under

ites? They were brought, no doubt, under tribute; performed the meanest offices for the Israelites, being in the same circumstances with the servile class of Hindoos called the Chetrees; had their national importance annihilated, and yet were never permitted to incorporate themselves with the Israelites. And we may reasonably suppose that this was the purpose of God relative to all the Canaanitish nations; those who would not renounce their idolatry, &c., were to be extirpated; those who did were to be preserved alive, on condition of becoming tributary, and serving as slaves. See the note on Deut. xx. 17.

Hewers of wood and drawers of water] The disgrace of this state laý not in the laboriousness of it, but in its being the common employment of the females; if the ancient customs among the same people were such as prevail now. The most intelligent travellers in those countries represent collecting wood for fuel, and carrying water, as the peculiar employment of the females. The Arab women of Barbary do so, according to Dr. Shaw. The daughters of the Turcomans in Palestine are employed, according to D'Arvieux, in fetching wood and water for the accommodation of their respective families. From these circumstances Mr. Harmer reasons thus: "The bitterness of the doom of the Gibeonites does not seem to have consisted in the laboriousness of the service enjoined them, for it was usual for women and chil

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isted in the time of David, is evident from the circumstance mentioned on ver. 19. They are not mentioned after the captivity; and it is probable that they were nearly annihilated by the persecution raised up against them by Saul. Some suppose that the Gibeon

dren to perform what was required of them; but its degrading them from the characteristic employment of men, that of bearing orms; and condemning them and their posterity for ever to the employment of females. The not receiving them as allies was bitter; the disarming them who had been warriors, and con-ites existed under the appellation of Nethinim; but demning them to the employment of females, was worse; but the extending this degradation to their posterity, was bitterest of all. It is no wonder that in these circumstances they are said to have been cursed."-Obs., vol. iv., p. 297.

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Verse 24. We were sore afraid of our lives] Selfpreservation, which is the most powerful law of nature, dictated to them those measures which, they adopted; and they plead this as the motive of their conduct. Verse 25. We are in thine hand] Eutirely in thy power.

As it seemeth good and right unto thee-do.] Whatever justice and mercy dictate to thee to do to us, that perform. They expect justice, because they deceived the Israelites; but they expect mercy also, because they were driven to use this expedient for fear of losing their lives. The appeal to Joshua is full of delicacy and cogent argument.

of this there is no decisive proof; the Nethinim were probably slaves of a different, race.

ON. what we meet with in this chapter, we may make the following observations.

1. The Gibeonites told lies, in order to save their lives. No expediency can justify this, nor are we called to attempt it. The Gibeonites were heathens, and we can expect nothing better from them. See note at the end of chap. ii.

2. They did not profit by their falsity: had they come in fairly, sought peace, and renounced their idolátry, they would have had life on honourable terms. As it was, they barely escaped with their lives, and were utterly deprived of their political liberty. Even the good that is sought by unlawful means has God's curse on it.

3. We need not be solicitous for the character of the Gibeonites here; they are neither our models, nor believers in the true God, and therefore pure religion is not concerned in their prevarication and falsity.

Verse 26. And so did he unto them] That is, he acted according to justice and mercy he delivered them out of the hands of the people, so that they slew them not here was mercy; and he made them hew- 4. We see here of what solemn importance an oath ers of wood and drawers of water for the congrega- was considered among the people of God; they swore tion, and to the altar of God-here was justice. Thus to their own hurt, and changed not. When once they Joshua did nothing but what was good and right, not had bound themselves to their Maker, they did not only in his own eyes, but also in the eyes of the Lord. believe that any changing circumstances could justify How long the Gibeonites were preserved as a dis-a departure from so awful an obligation. Thus, reader, tinct people after this, we know not. That they ex- shouldst thou fear a lie; and tremble at an oath.

CHAPTER X.

Adoni-zedec, king of Jerusalem, hearing of the capture of Ai, and that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel, calls to his assistance four other kings to fight against Gibeon, 1-4. They join forces, and encamp against Gibeon, 5. The Gibeonites send to Joshua for succour, 6, who immediately marches to their relief; receives encouragement from God, and falls suddenly on the confederate forcés, 7–9, and defeats them; they fly, and multitudes of them are slain by a miraculous shower of hail-stones, 10, 11. Joshua, finding that the day began to fail, prayed that the sun and moon might stand still, that they might have time to pursue and utterly destroy these confederate forces, 12: The sun and moon stand still, and make that day as long as two, 13, 14. Joshua and the people return to their camp at Gilgal, 15. The five kings having taken shelter in a cave at Makkedah, Joshua commanded the people to roll great stones against the

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