their preſent ſhame, bur of their everlaſting reproach, eſpecially among their, and God's Enemies, who being conſtant to their Idols, would juſtly ſcorn the 1/raelites for their levity in forſaking their God fo quickly and eaſily, See Jer. 2+ 11. But the Hebrew word |
riſing is uſed Exod: 1:8: Matth: 11: 11. Ando the Chaldee here renders
it, among#t their generations ; and the other Chaldee Interprerer, and | the Syriack, in their latter days, or in after times. * So the ſeaſe is, That | Aaron had puta note of perpetual infamy upon them, even to all after |
Ages. |
26 Then Moſes ſtood in the gate of the camp x and ſaid, Who is on the LORD'S fide y ? Jet bim come unto me. And all the ſons of Levi z gathered themſelves
together unto him. |
x He chuſe that place, 1. as the uſual place of Judicature. 2. That he might withdraw himſelf from rhecompany of Idolaters as far as he might. 3. As a fit place of concourſe and reſort for thoſe thar | were on God's {ide- 4. T'o prevent the eſcape of the greateſt Delins ; queats, the reſt of the Camp being probably ſurrounded with ſome | trench, orſuch like thing, elſe Gates had been ſuperfluous and un- | profitable. y Who will rake God's part, and plead his Cauſeagainft | Idolatry and Idolaters ? z ( i.e. ) The moſt of that Tribe, as that univerſal Particle is oft underſtood ; for ſome ofthem were deſtroyed as guilty, : ;
27 And he ſaid unto them, Thus faith the LORD God of Iſrael, Put every man his ſword by his ſide, «nd gO in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and flay every man his brother «, and every man his
companion, and every man his neighbour.
a The meaning is, Slay every principal Offender whom you meer with, witheur any indulgence or exception, though brether, or com- fanion, or neighbour, There was no fear of killing the innocent in this caſe, becauſe, 1. The people were generally guilty. 2. Moſes had called to himſelfall that were on God's fide, who thereby were ſeparated from the guilty. 3. The Nocent might eaſily be diſcerned from the Tranſgrefſors, either by the perſonal knowledge which the Levites or others had of the moſt forward IdolJaters, or by their abi- ding in their Tents as aſhamed and grieving for their ſin, whilſt the Tranſgrefſors were impudently walking abour in the Camp, as truſting to their numbers ; or by the direQion of God's Providence, if not by ſome viſible token. |
28 And the children of Levi did according to the f Or, and : Moſes ſaid, Word of Moſes ; and there fell of the people that day Conſecrate about three thouſand men b. your ſelves b And no more, for it is probable they ſlew only thoſe whom they 70 day co© knew to have been the Ringleadersto others in this miſchief. #heLORD, 29 f Fer Moſes had ſaid, * Conſecrate your ſelves
b , ns ,, {© day to the LORD c, even every man upon his ſon,
hath been 4Nd upon his brother, that he may beſtow upon you a «zainſt by blefling this day.
0n, and c Offer up your ſelves to the honour and ſervice of the Lord in againft his this work, which becauſe'it was joined with the hazard oftheir lives,
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:
may be, and is by ſome tranſlated thus, amongſt thoſe that do or ſhall riſe up or be born of then, i. e. that ſhall ſucceed them ; for ſo the word |
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to make it.
brother, * hecalls it 2 conſecration or oblation of themſelves, 2s Abraham for | C. the like reaſon is ſaid to have offered up 1/2ac. 4 Heb. Fill your hands, &Cc. | T Heb. #1 ;. e. offer a Sacrifice, for ſo that Phraſe is oft uſed, as Exod. 28. 41.
Your hands, Judg: 17: 5, 12. That work of Juſtice which they were going to |
execute might ſeem an inhumane and barbarous AR,but he rel)s them it was an acceptable Sacrifice to God, as the deſtruttion of God's Enemies is cailed 4 ſacrifice, Iſs: 34: 6: Exzek: 39: 179. Or he hereby intimates, that this Tribe was deſigned by God for his immediate ſervice, and therefore recommends this work to them as an excellent initiation into their Office, and as a demonſtration that they were in ſome ſorr worthy of that great truſt. | 30 C And it came to paſs on the morrow, that Moſes
ſaid unto the people, Ye have ſinned a great fin : and now [I will go up unto the LORD, * peradventure 4 I * 2 Sam:
ſhall make an atonement for your ſin. 16: 12; ,
d He ſpeaks doubtfully, partly becauſe he was uncertain how far AB 5: God wou!d pardon chem, and partly to quicken them to the more *5* + ſerious prattice of repenrance.
31 And Moſes returned unto the. LORD, and ſaid, Oh, this people have ſinned a great fin, and have made them gods of gold. |
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their fin e: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book f which
thou haft written.
e Underftand here, forgive it, or, or it is wel, or, I and others ſhall praiſe thy name. His great paſſion for his Peopie ſtops his words, and makes his Speech imperfe&. f( 7. e. ) Out of the Book of Life, as appears by comparing this with other places, as Pſal: 6g: 28: Dan: + 12: I: Luke 10: 20 Phil: 4:3: Rev: 3: 5: and 13: 8: and 20: 12: org out of the Catalogue or number of thoſe that ſhall be ſaved. 7 ſuppoſe Moſes doth not in this caſe wiſh his eternal damnation, becauſe that ſtate implies both wickedneſs in himſelf, and the diſhonour of God, but his annihilarion, or the utrer loſs of this life, and of that to come, and of all the happineſs of both of them. Nor doth Moſer ſimply deſire this, but only comparatively expreſſeth his ſingular zeal for God's glory, and charity to his People ; ſignifying, that the very thoughts ofthe deſtruftion of God's People, and of the reproach and blaſphemy which would be caſt upon Gcd by means thereof, wereſa grievous and intolerable to him, that he rather wiſheth, if it were poſſible, that God would accepr of him as a S.crifice in their ſtead, and by his utter deſtruftion prevent ſo great a miſchief, And it is to be conſidered, that Moſes ſpeaks this, as alſo many other things, as the Mediator berween God and J{rael, and as the Type of the true Mediator, Jeſus Chriſt, who was 1n effect rs ſuffer this which Moſes was content to ſuffer.
2 And the LORD faid unto Moſes, * Whoſoever +» po. hath ſinned + againſt me, him will I blot out of my 18: 4: book g. |
+ Or, doth fin, to wit, preſumptuouſly, obſtinately, and impeni- | tently. g Him will I cut off our of the Jand of the hving, and eter=
' nally deprive of my favour and glory, and not thee who art inno-
cent and righteous. | 34 Therefore now, go, lead the people unto the