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Precepts against idolatry.

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sin, and take us for P thine | thy sons, and their daughters i go An. Exod. Isr. 1. inheritance.

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10 And he said, Behold, make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD; for it is a 'terrible thing that I will do with thee.

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P Deut. xxxii. 9; Psa. xxviii. 9; xxxiii. 12; lxxviii. 62; xciv. 14; Jer. x. 16; Zech. ii. 12. Deut. v. 2; xxix. 12, 14. Deut. iv. 32; 2 Sam. vii. 23; Psa. lxxvii. 14; lxxviii. 12; cxlvii. 20. Deut. x. 21; Psa. cxlv. 6; Isa. Ixiv. 3.- Deut. v. 32; vi. 3, 25; xii. 28, 32; xxviii. 1.- Chap. xxxiii. 2. Chap. xxiii. 32; Deut. vii. 2; Judg. ii. 2.- Chap. xxiii. 33. Chap. xxiii. 24; Deut. xi. 3; Judg. ii. 2.- -y-Heb. statues. 2 Deut. vii. 5; xii. 2; Judg. vi. 25; 2 Kings xviii. 4; xxiii. 14; 2 Chron. xxxi. 1; xxxiv. 3, 4. Chap. xx. 3, 5.- _b So Isa. ix. 6; lvii. 15,-c Chap. xx. 5.- d Ver. 12. eDeut. xxxi. 16; Judg. 17; Jer. iii. 9; Ezek. vi. 9. Num, xxv. 2; 1 Cor. x. 27. - Psa. cvi. 28; 1 Cor. viii. 4, 7, 10. Verse 10. I will do marvels] This seems to refer to what God did in putting them in possession of the land of Canaan, causing the walls of Jericho to fall down; making the sun and moon to stand still, &c. And thus God made his covenant with them; binding himself to put them in possession of the promised land, and binding them to observe the precepts laid down in the following verses, from the 11th to the 26th inclusive.

Verse 13. Ye shall destroy their—images] See the subjects of this and all the following verses, to the 28th, treated at large in the notes on chap. xxiii.

Verse 21. In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.] This commandment is worthy of especial note; many break the Sabbath on the pretence of absolute necessity, because, if in harvest time the weather happens to be what is called bad, and the Sabbath day be fair and fine, they judge it perfectly lawful to employ

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a whoring after their gods, and An. Exod. Isr. 1. make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

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17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the m month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.

20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall before me appear q empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

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Deut. vii. 3; 1 Kings xi. 2; Num. xxv. 1, 2; 1 Kings xi. 4.

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neither shall

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Ezra ix. 2; Neh. xiii. 25. - Chap. xxxii. 8; Lev. xix. 4.- Chap. xii. 15; xxiii. 15.- Chap. xiii. 4. Chap. xiii. 2, 12; xxii. 29; Ezek. xliv. 30; Luke ii. 23.- Chap. xiii. 13; Num. xviii. 15.—P Or, kid. - Chap. xxiii. 15, Deut. xvi. 16; 1 Sam. ix. 7, 8; 2 Sam, xxiv. 24. Chap. xx. 9; xxiii. 12; xxxv. 2; Deut. v. 12, 13; Luke xiii. 14.- Ch. xxiii. 16; Deut. xvi. 10, 13.-' Heb. revolution of the year. Chap. xxiii. 14, 17; Deut. xvi. 16.- Chap. xxxiii. 2; Lev. xviii. 24; Deut. vii. 1; Psa, lxxviii. 55; lxxx. 8.- Deut. xii. 20; xix. 8. See Gen. xxxv. 5; 2 Chron, xvii. 10; Prov. xvi. 7; Acts xviii. 10.

that day in endeavouring to save the fruits of the field, and think that the goodness of the day beyond the preceding, is an indication from Providence that it should be thus employed. But is not the above command pointed directly against this? I have known this law often broken on this pretence, and have never been able to discover a single instance where the persons who acted thus succeeded one whit better than their more conscientious neighbours, who availed themselves of no such favourable circumstances, being determined to keep God's law, even to the prejudice of their secular interests; but no man ever yet ultimately suffered loss by a conscientious attachment to his duty to God. He who is willing and obedient, shall eat the good of the land; but God will ever dis tinguish those in his providence who respect his commandments.

Verse 24. Neither shall any man desire thy land]

After forty days and nights

CHAP. XXXIV.

Moses descends from the mount. any man desire thy land, when the tables the words of the A. M. 2513. An. Exod. Isr. 1. thou shalt go up to appear before covenant, the ten command- An. Exod. Isr. 1. the LORD thy God thrice in

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y Chapter xxiii. 18. Chap. xii. 10.— Chap. xxiii. 19; Deut. xxvi. 2, 10. Chap. xxiii. 19; Deut. xiv. 21.- Le Ver. 10; Deut. iv. 13; xxxi. 9.

What a manifest proof was this of the power and particular providence of God! How easy would it have been for the surrounding nations to have taken possession of the whole Israelitish land, with all their fenced cities, when there were none left to protect them but women and children! Was not this a standing proof of the Divine origin of their religion, and a barrier which no deistical mind could possibly surmount? Thrice every year did God work an especial miracle for the protection of his people; controlling even the very desires of their enemies, that they might not so much as meditate evil against them. They who have God for their protector have a sure refuge; and how true is the proverb, The path of duty is the way of safety! While these people went up to Jerusalem to keep the Lord's ordinances, he kept their families in peace, and their land in safety.

Verse 25. The blood of my sacrifice] That is, the paschal lamb. See on chap. xxiii, 18.

Verse 26, Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.] See this amply considered chap. xxiii. 19.

Verse 27. Write thou these words]. Either a transcript of the whole law now delivered, or the words included from verse 11 to 26. God certainly wrote the ten words on both sets of tables. Moses either wrote a transcript of these and the accompanying precepts for the use of the people, or he wrote the precepts themselves in addition to the ten commandments which were written by the finger of God. See on ver. 1. Allowing this mode of interpretation, the accompanying precepts were, probably, what was written on the back side of the tables by Moses; the ten commandments, what were written on the front by the finger of Jehovah for we must pay but little attention to the supposition of the rabbins, that the letters on each table were cut through the stone, so as to be legible on each side. See chap. xxxii. 15.

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29 And it came to pass, when Moses came dawn from Mount An. Exod. Isr. 1. Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.`

30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in command

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4 Chap. xxiv. 18; Deut. ix. 9, 18.- - Ver. 1; chap. xxxi. 18; xxxii. 16; Deut. iv. 13; x. 2, 4.- f Heb. words. Ch. xxxii. h Matt. xvii. 2; 2 Cor. iii. 7, 13.- Chap. xxiv. 3. Verse 28. Forty days and forty nights] See the note on chap. xxiv. 18.

Verse 29. The skin of his face shone] karan, was horned: having been long in familiar intercourse with his Maker, his flesh, as well as his soul, was penetrated with the effulgence of the Divine glory, and his looks expressed the light and life which dwelt within. Probably Moses appeared now as he did when, in our Lord's transfiguration, he was seen with Elijah on the mount, Matt. xvii. As the original word p karan signifies to shine out, to dart forth, as horns on the head of an animal, or rays of light reflected from a polished surface, we may suppose that the heavenly glory which filled the soul of this holy man darted out from his face in coruscations, in that manner in which light is generally represented. The Vulgate renders the passage, et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua," and he did not know that his face was horned;" which version, misunderstood, has induced painters in general to represent Moses with two very large horns, one proceeding from each temple! But we might naturally ask, while they were indulging themselves in such fancies, why only two horns? for it is very likely that there were hundreds of these radiations, proceeding at once from the face of Moses. It was no doubt from this very circumstance that almost all the nations of the world who have heard of this transaction, have agreed in representing those men to whom they attributed extraordinary sanctity, and whom they supposed to have had familiar intercourse with the Deity, with a lucid nimbus or glory round their heads. This has prevailed both in the east and in the west; not only the Greek and Roman saints, or eminent persons, are thus represented, but those also among the Mohammedans, Hindoos, and Chinese.

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Verse 30. They were afraid to come nigh him.] A sight of his face alarmed them; their consciences were

Moses puts a veil on his fuce

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while speaking to the people.

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ment all that the LORD had spake unto the children of An. Exod. Isr. 1. spoken with him in Mount Sinai. Israel that which he was com- An. Exod. Isr. 1. 33 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. And he came out, and

k2 Cor. iii. 13.

35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

12 Cor. iii. 16.

who is the end of the law for righteousness—justification, to every one that believeth. The former gives

a partial view of the Divine nature; the latter shows God as he is,

"Full orbed, in his whole round of rays complete." The apostle farther considers the veil on the face of Moses, as being emblematical of the metaphorical nature of the different rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation, each covering some spiritual meaning or a spiritual subject; and that the Jews did not lift the veil to penetrate the spiritual sense, and did not look to the end of the commandment, which was to be abolished, but rested in the letter or literal meaning, which conferred neither light nor life.

still guilty from their late transgression, and they had not yet received the atonement. The very appearance of superior sanctity often awes the guilty into respect. Verse 33. And till Moses had done speaking] The meaning of the verse appears to be this: As often as Moses spoke in public to the people, he put the veil on his face, because they could not bear to look on the brightness of his countenance; but when he entered into the tabernacle to converse with the Lord, he removed this veil, ver. 34. St. Paul, 2 Cor. iii. 7, &c., makes a very important use of the transactions recorded in this place. He represents the brightness of the face of Moses as emblematical of the glory or excellence of that dispensation; but he shows that however glorious or excellent that was, it had no glory when He considers the veil also as being emblematical compared with the superior excellence of the Gospel. of that state of intellectual darkness into which the As Moses was glorious in the eyes of the Israelites, Jewish people, by their rejection of the Gospel, were but that glory was absorbed and lost in the splendour plunged, and from which they have never yet been of God when he entered into the tabernacle, or went recovered. When a Jew, even at the present day, to meet the Lord upon the mount; so the brightness reads the law in the synagogue, he puts over his head and excellence of the Mosaic dispensation are eclipsed an oblong woollen veil, with four tassels at the four and absorbed in the transcendent brightness or excel- corners, which is called the taled or thaled. This is a lence of the Gospel of Christ. One was the shadow, very remarkable circumstance, as it appears to be an the other is the substance. One showed sIN in its emblem of the intellectual veil referred to by the aposexceeding sinfulness, together with the justice and um- tle, which is still upon their hearts when Moses is read, maculate purity of God; but, in and of itself, made no and which prevents them from looking to the end of provision for pardon or sanctification. The other that which God designed should be abrogated, and exhibits Jesus, the Lamb of God, typified by all the sa- which has been abolished by the introduction of the crifices under the law, putting away sin by the sacrifice Gospel. The veil is upon their hearts, and prevents of himself, reconciling God to man and man to God, the light of the glory of God from shining into them; diffusing his Spirit through the souls of believers, and | but we all, says the apostle, speaking of believers in cleansing the very thoughts of their hearts by his in- Christ, with open face, without any veil, beholding as spiration, and causing them to perfect holiness in the in a glass the glory of God, are changed into the same fear of God. The one seems to shut heaven against image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord; mankind, because by the law was the knowledge, not 2 Cor. iii. 18. Reader, dost thou know this excelthe cure, of SIN; the other opens the kingdom of hea-lence of the religion of Christ? Once thou wert ven to all believers. The former was a ministration darkness; art thou now light in the Lord? Art thou of death, the latter a dispensation of life. The former ministered terror, so that even the high priest was afraid to approach, the people withdrew and stood afar off, and even Moses, the mediator of it, exceedingly feared and trembled; by the latter we have boldness to enter into the holiest through the blood of Jesus,

still under the letter that killeth, or under the Spirit that giveth life? Art thou a slave to sin or a servant of Christ? Is the veil on thy heart, or hast thou found redemption in his blood, the remission of sins? Knowest thou not these things? Then may God pity, enlighten, and save thee!

CHAPTER XXXV.

Moses assembles the congregation to deliver to them the commandments of God, 1. Directions concerning the Sabbath, 2, 3. Free-will offerings of gold, silver, brass, &c., for the tabernacle, 4-7. Of oil and spices, 8. Of precious stones, 9. Proper artists to be employed, 10. The tabernacle and its tent, 11. The Candlestick, 14. Altar of incense, 15. Altar of burnt-offerClothes of service, and holy vestments, 19. The people cheer

ark, 19.

ing, 16.

Table of the shew-bread, 13.
Hangings, pins, &c., 17, 18.

Different free-will offerings

CHAP. XXXV.

brought by the people. fully bring their ornaments as offerings to the Lord, 20-22; together with blue, purple, scarlet, &c., &c., 23, 24. The women spin, and bring the produce of their skill and industry, 25, 26. The rulers bring precious stones, &c., 27, 28. All the people offer willingly, 29. Bezaleel and Aholiab appointed to conduct and superintend all the work of the tabernacle, for which they are qualified by the spirit of wisdom,

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4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,

5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

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16 The altar of burnt-offering, with his brazen gate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver, and his foot;

17 The hangings of the court, his pillars, 6 And blue,' and purple, and scarlet, and and their sockets, and the hanging for the fine linen, and goats' hair, door of the court;

7 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' 18 The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins skins, and shittim wood, of the court, and their cords;

8 And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,

19 The clothes of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron

9 And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the priest, and the garments of his sons, to the ephod, and for the, breastplate.

10 And h

every wise-hearted man among you

minister in the priest's office.

20 And all the congregation of the children shall come, and make all that the LORD hath of Israel departed from the presence of commanded;

Moses.

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a Chap. xxxiv. 32. b Chap. xx. 9; xxxi. 14, 15; Lev. xxiii. * Chapter xxv. 10, &c.- - Chapter xxv. 23.- m Chap. xxv. 3; Num. xv. 32, &c..; Deut. v. 12; Luke xiii. 14. - Heb. 30; Lev. xxiv. 5, 6.- Chapter xxv. 31, &c. Chap. xxx. holiness. - Chap. xvi. 23.- - Chap. xxv. 1, 2. Chapter 1.- -P Chap. xxx. 23.9 Chap. xxx. 34.- Chap. xxvii. 1. xxv. 2.5 Chapter xxv. 6. Chap. xxxi. 6: Chapter Chap. xxvii. 9.- Chap. xxxi. 10; xxxix. 1, 41; Numbers iv. xxvi. 1, 2, &c. 5, 6, &c.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXXV, Verse 1. And Moses gathered] The principal subJects in this chapter have been already largely considered in the notes on chapters xxv., xxvi., xxvii,, xxviii., xxix., xxx., and xxxi., and to those the reader is particularly desired to refer, together with the parallel texts in the margin.

Verse 3. Ye shall kindle no fire] The Jews understand this precept as forbidding the kindling of fire only for the purpose of doing work or dressing victuals; but to give them light and heat, they judge it lawful to light a fire on the Sabbath day, though themselves rarely kindle it—they get Christians to do this work

for them.

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Verses 5 and 6. See, on these metals and colours, chap. xxv. 3. 4, &c.

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Verse 7. Rams' skins, &c.] See chap. xxv. 5.
Verse 8. Oil for the light] See chap. xxv. 6.
Verse 9. Onyx stones] See chap. xxv. 7.
Verse 11. The tabernacle] See chap. xxv. 8.
Verse 12. The ark] See chap. xxv. 10-17.
Verse 13. The table] See chap. xxv. 23-28.
Verse 14. The candlestick] See chap. xxv. 31-39.
Verse 15. The incense altar] The golden altar, see
chap. xxx. 1-10.

Verse 16. The altar of burnt-offering] The brazen altar, see chap. xxvii. 1–8.

Verse 17. The hangings of the court] See chap.

Verse 5. An offering] A terumah or heave-offering; xxvii. 9. see Lev. vii. 1, &c.

Verse 19. The clothes of service] Probably aprons,

The people present

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21 And they came, every one An. Exod. Isr. 1. " whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets, and ear-rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered, offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. 23 And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.

24 Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass, brought the LORD's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.

25 And all the women that were wisehearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom, spun goats' hair.

27 And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;

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28 And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, An. Exod. Isr. 1. and for the sweet incense.

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29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses. 30 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, a The LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

31 And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

32 And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

33 And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and ↳ Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan;

35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do, any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

" Ver. 5, 22, 26, 29; chap. xxv. 2; xxxvi. 2; 1 Chron. xxviii. * 1 Chron. xxix. 6; Ezra ii. 68.- -y Chap. xxx. 23. Ver. 2,9; xxix. 9; Ezra vii. 27; 2 Cor. viii. 12; ix. 7.- -1 Chron.21; 1 Chron. xxix. 9.- Chap. xxxi. 2, &c. Chap. xxxi. xxix. 8.- Chap. xxviii. 3; xxxi. 6; xxxvi. 1; 2 Kings xxiii. 7; 6; Isa. xxviii. 24-29. Prov. xxxi. 19, 22, 24. vii. 14; 2 Chron. ii. 14;

towels, and such like, used in the common service, and different from the vestments for Aaron and his sons. See these latter described chap. xxviii. 1, &c.

Verse 21. Every one whose heart stirred him up] Literally, whose heart was lifted up-whose affections were set on the work, being cordially engaged in the service of God.

Verse 22. As many as were willing-hearted] For no one was forced to lend his help in this saered work; all was a free-will offering to the Lord.

Bracelets] n chach, whatever hooks together; ments for the wrists, arms, legs, or neck. Ear-rings] Di nezem, see this explained Gen.

xxiv. 22.

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Ver. 31; chap. xxxi. 3, 6; 1 Kings Isa. xxviii. 26.

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descends to require and accept their services. building this house of God, all were ambitious to do something by which they might testify their piety to God, and their love for his worship. The spinning practised at this time was simple, and required little apparatus. It was the plain distaff or twirling pin, which might be easily made out of any wood they met with in the wilderness.

Verse 27. The rulers brought onyx stones] These, being persons of consequence, might be naturally exorna-pected to furnish the more scarce and costly articles. See how all join in this service! The men worked and brought offerings, the women spun and brought their ornaments, the rulers united with them and delivered up their jewels! and all the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, ver. 29.

Rings] ny tabbaath, from you taba, to penetrate, enter into; probably rings for the fingers.

Tablets] ip cumaz, a word only used here and in Num. xxxi. 50, supposed to be a girdle to support the breasts.

Verse 30. The Lord hath called by name Bezaleel] See this subject discussed at large in the note on chap. xxxi. 3, where the subject of superseding the work of the hand by the extra use of machinery is particularly

Verse 25. All the women that were wise-hearted did spin] They had before learned this art, they were wise-hearted; and now they practise it, and God con- considered.

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