PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Numbers
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 203,866 words · 574 reading sections
Numbers 23:3
Numbers 23:3 Ver. 3. And Balaam said unto Balak, stand by thy burnt offering,.... By which it appears that the sacrifices offered were of this sort, and there might be one, which was more peculiarly the burnt offering of Balak; though he might be more or less with Balaam concerned in them all; at which he was directed…
289 wordsSECTION 362Numbers 23:4
Numbers 23:4 Ver. 4. And God met Balaam,.... Not in a kind and gracious manner; not out of any respect to him and his offerings; not to indulge him with any spiritual communion with him; nor to communicate his mind and will to him as a friend of his; not to gratify his desires, and grant the request of the king of Moa…
270 wordsSECTION 363Numbers 23:5
Numbers 23:5 Ver. 5. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth.... Not grace into his heart, nor the fear of God within him, but suggested to him what to say; impressed it strongly on him, that he could not forget it, and with such power and weight, that he was obliged to deliver it: and said, return unto Balak, and …
79 wordsSECTION 364Numbers 23:6
Numbers 23:6 Ver. 6. And he returned unto him,.... Immediately, as soon as he was told what to say: and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice; continued in his devotions, hoping for success, and waiting for Balaam's return: he and all the princes of Moab; not only those that were sent to Balaam, but perhaps all the p…
87 wordsSECTION 365Numbers 23:7
Numbers 23:7 Ver. 7. And he took up his parable, and said,.... Pronounced the word, the prophetic word, which God had put into his mouth; so the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call it, the parable of his prophecy; so called, because, in prophecies, often figurative and enigmatical expressions are used, and also sen…
200 wordsSECTION 366Numbers 23:8
Numbers 23:8 Ver. 8. How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed?.... The sense is, that it was impossible for him to curse those that God did not curse himself, or would not have cursed by others; not but that he had a good will to it, to get Balak's money and honour, but he knew not how to accomplish it; yea, he saw …
239 wordsSECTION 367Numbers 23:9
Numbers 23:9 Ver. 9. For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him,.... That is, Israel in their camps; Balaam being at this time on the top of a rock, or on an high hill, from whence he had a view of Israel, encamped in the plains of Moab below him: lo, the people shall dwell alone; this c…
489 wordsSECTION 368Numbers 23:10
Numbers 23:10 Ver. 10. Who can count, the dust of Jacob,.... The people of Israel, their posterity so called, not because of their original, the dust of the earth, but because of their numbers, being as numerous as the dust of the earth, or sand of the sea, as it was promised they should be, Ge 28:14 and which is here…
592 wordsSECTION 369Numbers 23:11
Numbers 23:11 Ver. 11. And Balak said unto Balaam, what hast thou done unto me?.... Or "for me" {f}; nothing at all, to answer his purpose, or his end in sending for him; I took thee to curse mine enemies: so he calls the Israelites, though they had never done him any wrong; nor committed any acts of hostility agains…
147 wordsSECTION 370Numbers 23:12
Numbers 23:12 Ver. 12. And he answered and said,.... By reply to Balak: must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? pretending a great regard to the word of God, and to great carefulness to speak it, exactly and punctually as he received it, whereas he was forced to it, and could not do ot…
64 wordsSECTION 371Numbers 23:13
Numbers 23:13 Ver. 13. And Balak said unto him,.... Seemingly satisfied with his answer, however, he could not help himself, and was willing to make the best of him he could, and try what he could do with him another time and elsewhere: come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; …
306 wordsSECTION 372Numbers 23:14
Numbers 23:14 Ver. 14. And he brought him into the field of Zophim,.... Or Sede Tzophim, as Hillerus {i} reads it, so called from the watch tower, and watchmen in it: Jarchi says, it was a high place, where a watchman stood to observe if an army came against a city, and so a very proper place to take a view of the arm…
3,275 wordsSECTION 373Numbers 24:1
Numbers 24:1 INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 24 In this chapter we are told, that Balaam leaving his enchantments, the Spirit of God came on him, and he spake of the happiness of Israel, and prophesied of their future greatness and glory, Nu 24:1 which so exasperated Balak, that he ordered him at once to depart from him, Nu …
529 wordsSECTION 374Numbers 24:2
Numbers 24:2 Ver. 2. And Balaam lifted up his eyes,.... Being on Mount Peor: and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; in that exact order in which they were directed to encamp under four standards, and so many tribes under each standard, Nu 2:1 and the Spirit of God came upon him; not in his…
111 wordsSECTION 375Numbers 24:3
Numbers 24:3 Ver. 3. And he took up his parable,.... His parable of prophecy, as the Targums, his prophetic speech, which, with a loud voice, he expressed in the hearing of Balak and his nobles: and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said; the preface to his prophecy is pompous, and seems to be full of pride and vanit…
256 wordsSECTION 376Numbers 24:4
Numbers 24:4 Ver. 4. He hath said, which heard the words of God,.... God speaking to him, which he did several times, and with which he was greatly elated, see Nu 22:9: which saw the vision of the Almighty; not that he had a sight of any similitude of God, though the angel that appeared to him, which was Christ the u…
291 wordsSECTION 377Numbers 24:5
Numbers 24:5 Ver. 5. How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,.... Not that the matter of which they were made was so rich, or their structure so admirable, but the order in which they were placed was so beautiful and agreeable: and thy tabernacles, O Israel; which is the same thing in other words, and which may be applied …
153 wordsSECTION 378Numbers 24:6
Numbers 24:6 Ver. 6. As the valleys are they spread forth,.... Long and broad, lying between several mountains, and reaching from hill to hill; so the armies of Israel lay encamped in the plains and villages of Moab, making a very considerable length and breadth; the camp of Israel is said to be twelve miles long, and…
605 wordsSECTION 379Numbers 24:7
Numbers 24:7 Ver. 7. He shall pour the water out of his buckets,.... That is, God shall plentifully send down rain out of the clouds upon these valleys, gardens, and trees, and make them fruitful; and this may be a figure of the grace of God, with which his churches are watered, and become fruitful by means of the wor…
389 wordsSECTION 380Numbers 24:8
Numbers 24:8 Ver. 8. God brought him forth out of Egypt, he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn,.... Here he repeats what he had said in a former prophecy, See Gill on "Nu 23:22": he shall eat up the nations his enemies: the seven nations of Canaan, which should be subdued by Israel, and that with as much ease …
150 wordsSECTION 381Numbers 24:9
Numbers 24:9 Ver. 9. He couched,.... Which may respect the posture of the armies of Israel in the plains of Moab: he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion; as he would do, and did in the land of Canaan, when conquered by Israel; they took up their residence on it quietly, and dwelt in it securely, and in no more fe…
218 wordsSECTION 382Numbers 24:10
Numbers 24:10 Ver. 10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam,.... He had bore much and long, but he could bear no longer, he was quite impatient, his last words more especially must exceedingly nettle him: and he smote his hands together; as expressive of his indignation, vexation, and disappointment: and Bal…
143 wordsSECTION 383Numbers 24:11
Numbers 24:11 Ver. 11. Therefore now flee thou to thy place,.... His own country, from whence Balak had sent for him, and he came; begone directly, make all haste away; he speaks as one so provoked, that he could not bear him in his presence, and as threatening him if he did not at once get out of his sight: I though…
178 wordsSECTION 384Numbers 24:12
Numbers 24:12 Ver. 12. And Balaam said unto Balak,.... In order to mitigate his wrath, and bring him into a better temper: spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me: those that came to him a second time; for to the first he said nothing of what is after related, but to the last he did much the sam…
73 wordsSECTION 385Numbers 24:13
Numbers 24:13 Ver. 13. If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold,.... Which are the very words he said to the princes of Moab, Nu 22:18, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad; for though here it is the "commandment", and there the "word" of the Lord, yet it is the sam…
193 wordsSECTION 386Numbers 24:14
Numbers 24:14 Ver. 14. And now, behold, I go unto my people,.... According to thine order, I shall not stay to make thee uneasy with my company, only I crave thy patience to hear me a little before we part: come therefore, and I will advertise thee; about some things that shall come to pass in future time, respecting…
3,722 wordsSECTION 387Numbers 25:1
Numbers 25:1 INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 25 The contents of this chapter are, the sin of the people of Israel, their whoredom and idolatry, Nu 25:1, their punishment for it, multitudes being slain, Nu 25:4, whose number is given, Nu 25:9, the zeal of Phinehas in slaying two notorious offenders, Nu 25:6, whose names are o…
346 wordsSECTION 388Numbers 25:2
Numbers 25:2 Ver. 2. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods,.... That is, the daughters of Moab and Midian, with whom the children of Israel carried on an unlawful correspondence, invited them, their gallants, to come and partake of the feasts which attended the sacrifices of their idols; for par…
274 wordsSECTION 389Numbers 25:3
Numbers 25:3 Ver. 3. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor,.... The name of an idol; one of the Baals, Baal being a general name for an idol; and, to distinguish this from other Baals or idols, it was called Peor, either from its opening its mouth in prophecy, as Ainsworth; or from some obscene posture and action us…
427 wordsSECTION 390Numbers 25:4
Numbers 25:4 Ver. 4. And the Lord said unto Moses,.... Being provoked with the sins of the people, he called to him out of the tabernacle, or out of the cloud: take all the heads of the people, the princes of the tribes, not to hang them, but to judge those that worshipped Peor, as Jarchi interprets it; though some t…
326 wordsSECTION 391Numbers 25:5
Numbers 25:5 Ver. 5. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel,.... Either the same with the heads of the people, or the rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, according to the distribution by the advice of Jethro: slay ye everyone his men, that were joined unto Baalpeor; all that were under their several d…
92 wordsSECTION 392Numbers 25:6
Numbers 25:6 Ver. 6. And, behold, one of the children of Israel came,.... From one of the cities of Moab or Midian, the latter rather, by what follows; where he had been, very probably, to an idolatrous feast, and had eaten of the sacrifices, and worshipped idols, and committed fornication with the daughters of the la…
371 wordsSECTION 393Numbers 25:7
Numbers 25:7 Ver. 7. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it,.... Saw the man pass by in this impudent manner, and his whore with him; his spirit was stirred up, he was filled and fired with zeal for the glory of God, and with an holy indignation against the sin and sinner, and with …
241 wordsSECTION 394Numbers 25:8
Numbers 25:8 Ver. 8. And he went after the man of Israel into the tent,.... Into which he went with his harlot; the word here used is different from what is commonly used for a tent: Aben Ezra observes that in the Kedarene or Arabic language there is a word near to it, which Bochart, putting the article "al" to it, sa…
355 wordsSECTION 395Numbers 25:9
Numbers 25:9 Ver. 9. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. The apostle says 23,000 1Co 10:8. Moses includes those that were hanged against the sun, in the time of the plague, as well as those that were taken off by it, even all that died on this account; the apostle only those that "fell", w…
99 wordsSECTION 396Numbers 25:10
Numbers 25:10 Ver. 10. And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... Out of the cloud, or out of the tabernacle, at the door of which Moses now was, Nu 25:6, this was after so many had died of the plague, and after the fact of Phinehas, by which it was stopped: saying; as follows.…
55 wordsSECTION 397Numbers 25:11
Numbers 25:11 Ver. 11. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest,.... His descent and genealogy is observed as before, partly to show that he was not a private person, but a man of public authority that did the above fact; perhaps one of the judges that Moses ordered to slay every man his man, and ther…
307 wordsSECTION 398Numbers 25:12
Numbers 25:12 Ver. 12. Wherefore say,.... Moses is bid to tell what follows to Phinehas himself, for his comfort and encouragement, and to the people of Israel, that they might take notice of it, and give him honour and respect, as one highly esteemed by the Lord: behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace; not onl…
271 wordsSECTION 399Numbers 25:13
Numbers 25:13 Ver. 13. And he shall have it, and his seed after him,.... The covenant, and all the blessings of it; so the covenant stands fast with Christ, and all his spiritual seed, Ps 89:28: even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; or this may be read in connection with the preceding words, and the sense b…
489 wordsSECTION 400Numbers 25:14
Numbers 25:14 Ver. 14. Now the name of the Israelite that was slain,.... By Phinehas, as before related: [even] that was slain with the Midianitish woman; who was slain also, both together with one thrust: was Zimri, the son of Sela, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites; or a prince of his father's house, …
164 wordsSECTION 401Numbers 25:15
Numbers 25:15 Ver. 15. And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur,.... One of the five kings of Midian, Nu 31:8 and so the Samaritan Chronicle says {k}, it was the daughter of a king that came to a prince of the tribe of Simeon, and enticed him to eat of her food, and worship h…
691 wordsSECTION 402Numbers 26:1
Numbers 26:1 INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 26 In this chapter an order is given to number the people of Israel a second time, Nu 26:1 and the account begins with Reuben, the firstborn, and the families that sprung from him, and the number of them, Nu 26:5 and Dathan and Abiram being of this tribe, the affair of them and Ko…
446 wordsSECTION 403Numbers 26:2
Numbers 26:2 Ver. 2. Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel,.... Excepting the Levites, who were to be numbered by themselves, and at a different age; this sum was to be taken, that it might appear that all of the old generation that came out of Egypt, of the age at which this sum was taken, we…
177 wordsSECTION 404Numbers 26:3
Numbers 26:3 Ver. 3. And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them,.... With the children of Israel, with the heads of them, their chief and principal, to assist in taking the number of the people; as when they were numbered thirty years ago, when a prince out of each tribe was taken to be with Aaron and Moses in d…
165 wordsSECTION 405Numbers 26:4
Numbers 26:4 Ver. 4. [Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward,.... At the same age at which the sum was taken before, Nu 1:3 so that there could not be one that was more than sixty years of age, of all those that went into the land of Canaan, except Joshua and Caleb, and besides some few in the t…
163 wordsSECTION 406Numbers 26:5
Numbers 26:5 Ver. 5. Reuben, the eldest son of Israel,.... the number of his tribe is taken first on that account; there were four families that descended from him, the Hanochite, Palluite, Hesronite, and Carmite, and the number of men from twenty years old and upwards, fit for war, were 43,730; so that, since the las…
108 wordsSECTION 407Numbers 26:8
Numbers 26:8 Ver. 8. And the sons of Pallu,.... Or son, the plural for the singular, Pallu having but one son, whose name was Eliab, the father of Dathan and Abiram; Nu 26:9.…
35 wordsSECTION 408Numbers 26:9
Numbers 26:9 Ver. 9. And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram,.... Of Nemuel we nowhere else read either he died without children, or he and his family perished with his brethren, being concerned with them in the conspiracy; or the family of the Palluite was in his line; one of the same name may be observ…
194 wordsSECTION 409Numbers 26:10
Numbers 26:10 Ver. 10. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up,.... Not only Dathan and Abiram, but their wives and children, their houses and tents, and all their goods, see Nu 16:32 together with Korah; the words being thus rendered, and standing in such close connection with the preceding, some have c…
306 wordsSECTION 410Numbers 26:11
Numbers 26:11 Ver. 11. Notwithstanding, the children of Korah died not. Neither of the pestilence, nor by fire, nor by the swallowing up of the earth; they not being in the counsel of their father, but followed the doctrine of Moses the prophet, as the Targum of Jonathan; they either disliked their father's scheme, or…
110 wordsSECTION 411Numbers 26:12
Numbers 26:12 Ver. 12-14. The sons of Simeon, after their families,.... This tribe was next numbered, not only because Simeon was next to Reuben by birth, but because his tribe was under the standard of Reuben; two of his sons are a little differently named here than they are in Ge 46:10, there the eldest is called Je…
241 wordsSECTION 412Numbers 26:15
Numbers 26:15 Ver. 15-18. The children of Gad, after their families tribe was numbered next to Simeon,.... because it lay encamped with that under the standard of Reuben. There is a little variation in the names of two or three of his sons, from those by which they are called Ge 46:16, instead of Ziphion, here Zephon;…
131 wordsSECTION 413Numbers 26:19
Numbers 26:19 Ver. 19-22. And the sons of Judah were Er and Onan,.... And besides these he had Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah, from whom families sprang, but none from the two first: for Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan; where they were born; and that because of their sins, as the Targum of Jonathan adds, see Ge 38:…
141 wordsSECTION 414Numbers 26:22
Numbers 26:22 Ver. 22. See Gill on "Nu 26:19" Numbers 26:23Ver. 23-25. Of the sons of Issachar, after their families,.... This tribe was numbered next to Judah, because it was under his standard. Two of his sons are a little differently named than they are Ge 46:13 instead of Phuvah one is called Pua, and instead of J…
2,461 wordsSECTION 415Numbers 27:1
Numbers 27:1 INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 27 This chapter relates, that, upon a petition of the daughters of Zelophehad, the affair of inheritances was settled; and it is directed that, in case of want of male issue, inheritances should pass to females, and in failure of them to the next of kin, whether father's brethren …
340 wordsSECTION 416Numbers 27:2
Numbers 27:2 Ver. 2. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes, and all the congregation,.... Who were now sitting in court, to hear and try causes brought before them; here were Moses the chief magistrate, Eleazar the high priest, the princes of the several tribes, and the rep…
146 wordsSECTION 417Numbers 27:3
Numbers 27:3 Ver. 3. Our father died in the wilderness,.... As all the generation of the children of Israel did, that came out of Egypt, who were twenty years old and upwards, excepting Joshua and Caleb: and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; …
312 wordsSECTION 418Numbers 27:4
Numbers 27:4 Ver. 4. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son.... Or be withdrawn, and his family lose their part and share on that account; this they thought was unreasonable: according to the Targum of Jonathan, to prevent the name of their father being lost, and h…
294 wordsSECTION 419Numbers 27:5
Numbers 27:5 Ver. 5. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. For it seems it was too difficult for this court to decide; and it devolving upon Moses, as the president of it, and who only could have recourse to God at all times, he carried it to him and consulted with him about it: this, as the Targums of Jonath…
130 wordsSECTION 420Numbers 27:6
Numbers 27:6 Ver. 6. And the Lord spake unto Moses,.... From off the mercy seat, where he consulted him, and from whence he promised to commune with him about any difficult matter that came before him, Ex 25:22, saying; as follows.…
43 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.