m Or rather roſe up, which word is oft uſed for attempting or be« ginning to do any buſineſs. » Some at onetime, and ſome at the other, ' and ſome, through the greedineſs or diffidence, at both times. 0 (i.e.) Ten aſs loads. Which if it ſeem incredible, you muſt conſider, 1. That the gatherers here were not all the people, which could not be without great confuſion, and other inconveniencies, bur ſome on the behalf of all, poſſibly one for each family, or the like, while the reſt were exerciſed abour other neceſſary things. So the meaning is not, that every 1ſ/raelite had ſo much for his ſhare, | but that every colleftor gathered ſo much for the family, or others by whom he was intrufted, 2. That the people did not gather for their preſent uſe only, but for a good while ro come, as we ſhall ſee; and being greedy and diſtruſtful of God's goodneſs, it is not. ſtrange if they gathered much more than they needed. 3. That the word, rendered homers, may ſignifie heags, as it doth, Exod: 8. 14. Judg: 15. 16. Hab: 3: 15, and zen is oft put for many, and ſo the ſence 1s, that every one gathered ſeveral heaps. If yer the number ſeems incredible, it muſt be further known. 4. That heathen and other authors affirm, that in thrſe eaſtern and ſouthern countreys quails are innumerable, ſo that in one pait of 1aly, within the compaſs of five mile:, there were taken about an hun- dred thouſand of them every day for a moneth together ; and that. ſometimes they fly ſo thick over the ſea, that being weary they fall mto ſhips, ſometimes in ſuch numbers that they ſink them with their weight, as Yarro and Solinus affirm. And Atheneus relates, that in Egypt, a country prodigioully populous, as all agree, they were in ſuch pl-nty, that all thoſe vaſt numbers of people could
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bout the camp, and as it were two cubits bizh upon the t Heb: «* it were the)
lap. XIL. -., MW jonumerablequails for this purpoſe: Whichyet if it were affirmed he did, Atheiſts and Ante-ſcripturiſts have no occaſion of triumph, ſince they muſt either own the Creation of the World, which 1s a far greater Miracle, or aſcribe the produQion of the world to a caſual jumble of Atoms, . which is more ſenſeleſs and ridiculous than all the fables of the Poets. p Thar ſo they may dry them, and ſalt them, and preſerve them for their future uſe, according to what they had ſeen and learned in Egypr. 23 Andwhile the* fleſh was yet between their teeth, efre it was chewed q, the wrath of the LORD was kindled againſt the people, aud the LORD ſmore the
People with a very great plague 7. |
q Heb: cut of, to wit, from their mouths, which is here under- ſtood, and expreſſed Joel 1. 5. 7. e. e're it was taken away, as the flocks are ſaid to be cut of from the fold, Heb: 3. 17. when they are loſt and periſhed. The ſenſe is, before they had done eating their
uails, which laſted for a moneth, as appears from wer: 20. r Whe- ther it was leanneſs ſent into them, Pal: 106.15. whereby the food was deprived of its nouriſhing power v hich it hath only from Gods | blefling; or ſurfet, a puniſhment moſt ſureable ro their fin, and | moſt likely to follow their intemperat defire and uſe of this tood ; or the peſtilence, it is not much material: Bur a great and ſore | plague unqueſtionably it was. Queſt: Why did God fo ſorely pu- niſh the peoples murmuring and complaining for lack of fleſh here, when he ſpared them after the ſame fin, Exod: 16? An: Becauſe this ſin was a far greater ſin than that, and aggravated with worſe circumſtances; as proceeding not from neceſbty, as th t did, when as yet they had no food, but from meer luſt and wa::tonneſs, when they had Manna conſtantly given them ; as committed after large experience of God's care and kindneſs, after God had pardoned their former ſins, and after God had in a ſolemn and terrible man- | ner made known his laws and duty to them. WW Thatis 34 And he called the name of that place*Kibrothhat- lhe groves taavah s,becauſe there they buried the people that luſted. Bf 1uf. s Heb. the graves of luſt, (3. e.) of the men tht luſted, as it here fallows. The abſtra& for the concrete, which is frequent, as po- werty, 2 King: 24.14, pride, Pſal: 36. 11. deceit, fins, Prov 13. 6. ec: dreams, Jer: 27. 9. are put for men who are poor, ©: proud, Or deceitful, or ſinful, or dreamers. And it notes, that this plague did not ſeize upon all that did eat of the quails, for then all had been deſt:oyed, but only upon thoſe who were inordinate both in the
NUMBER 6&
delire and uſe of them. ? - 25 And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaa- vah unto Hazeroth :: and} abode at Hazeroth,
j' Heb;
h : Of which place ſee on Numb: 33. 17. and Dent: 1. 1. "a CHAP. XII.
Miriam and Aaron murmur againſt Moſes, 1,2, 3. God commandeth him, A- aron and Miriam t9 come to the Tabernacle, which they did, 4, 5. God rebuketh Aaron and Mimam, 6-9. Miriam becometh Leprous, 10. Aaron humbling himſelf before Moſes, 11, 12. He interceedeth for him, 13. Miriam remains without the camp ſeven days, 14+ 16.
AND Miriam and Aaron # ſpake againſt Moſes, be-
Ca cauſe of the * Ethiopian woman b whom he had