b Obj. How was he alone, when there were others added to help him, Exod 18. 21, 24? Anſw. Thoſe were only afliſtant tro him in civil cauſesand ſmaller matters, but the harder and greater affairs, ſuch as this unqueſtionably was, were brought to Moſes and deter- mined by him alone, Exod. 18. 22.
15 4nd if thou deal thus with me, * kill me, I pray *See 1Kin thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy fight, 29- 4- and let me not ſee my wretchedneſs c. Joon; 4+
c Heb. my evil, 7. e. my intolerable anguiſh and torment, ariſing from the inſuperable difhculty of my office and work of ruling this people, and from the dread of their utter extirpation which they will bring upon themſelves, and the diſhonour which thence will accrue to God and toreligion, as if not I only but God alſo were an Impoſtor, Seeing is here put for feeling, as to ſee death, Pſal. 8g.
48. Luke 2. 26. 15 to ſuffer it, and to ſee the ſalvation of God, Pſal. 59. 23. andgr. 16. 1s to enjoy it.
16 And the LORD ſaid unto Moſes, Gather unto M me * ſeventy men of the elders of Iſrael d, whom thou WEE knoweſt to be the elders e of the people, and officers © *” over them : and bring them unto the tabernacle of the
congregation, that they may ftand there with thee. ad Of whom ſee Exod: 3: 16: and 5: 6: Levit: 4: 15: Dent: 16: 18. e Whom thou by experience diſcerneſt to be Elders not only in years, and name and place, but alſo in wiſdom and gravity, and authority with the people. | 17 And I will come down f, and talk with thee there, and T * will take of the ſpirit which is upon thee,and will * ch. ge put zt upon them g, and they ſhal bear the burden of the 20.
people with thee, that thou bear zr not thy ſelf alone.
f Not by local morion, but by my powerful preſence and opera- tion. See Gen: 11: 5: and Exod::34: 5. g (i:e: ) 1 will give the ſame ſpirit to them which I have given to thee. Bur as the ſpirit was not conveyed to them from or through Moſes,but immediately from God, ſo the ſpirit or its gifts were not by this means impaired in Moſes. The ſpirit is here put for the gifts of the ſpirit, as it is Numb: 27: 18: Joel: 2: 28: Joh: 7: 39: As rg: 2, 6: 1 Cor: 14: 12, 32: and particularly for the ſpi-it of prophecy, v: 25: whereby they were enabled, as Moſes had been and ſtill was, to diſcern hidden and fu- ture things, and reſol-e doubrful and difficult caſes, which made them fit for government. It is obſervable, that God would not
and therefore men ſhould not, call any perſons to any office for which they were not ſufficiently fit and qualified.
18 And fay thou unto the people,SanGifie yourſelves b againit to morrow, and ye ſhal cat fleſh: (for ye have weptin the ears of the LORD 5, ſaying, Who ſhal give us fleſh to eat ? for ir was well with us in Egypt ) therefore the LORD will give you fleſh,and ye ſhal car. h ( i: e: ) Prepare your ſelves, either to receive the miraculous bleſſings of God, the fleſh you defire: or rather, prepare to meet thy God, O Iſrael, inthe way of his judgments, and to receive the PU= | niſhment which God will inflict upon you; for it is evident from verſe 20: that God anſwered them with a curſe in ſtead ofa bleſling. Prepare your ſelves by true repentance, that you may either obtain
*o24 12.
*L 46.
ye
* Cl 32. 8 Deut 22,
ſome mitigation of the plague, or, whileſt your bodies are deſtroy : E &
0
"Chap: XIIT: "FD" white, that was an evidence of the cure of the leprofie, Levit: 13 12, 13. But it was otherwayes when one was ſuddenly and extra- ordinarily ſmitten with this univerſal whiteneſs, which ſhewed the great corruption of the whole maſs of blood, as it was here,
i find 4aron ſaid unto Molzs, Alas my LORD, I be-
eech thee, lay not the ſin upon us y wherein we have 9 ay #
done fooliſhly, and wherein we have ſinned.
y Let not the guilt and puniſhment of this ſin reſt upon us, upon he: inth:s kind, upon me in any other kind, but pray ro God for the pardon and removal of it.
i> Lec her not be as one dead 2, of whom the fleſh is haif conſumed, when he cometh ont of his mothers
womb 5.
z Either naturally, becauſe part of her fleth was putrefied and dead, and not to be reſtored but by the mighty power of God: Or mo- ally, becauſe the was cut off from all converſe with others, Lev: 13:4" 8 Like an untimely birth withour due ſhape and proportion or like a {tjll bo-n child,that hath been for ſome time dead m the
* Heb: womb, hich + hen ir comes forth,is white and putretied, and 12. 9. part of it conſumed,
tz And Moſes cryed unto the LORD, ſaying, Heal
- her now, O God, I beſeech thee. 14 And the LORD ſaid unto Moſes, * If her father had but ſpit in her face 6, ſhould ſhe not be aſhamed c, ſe- ven days? let her be * ſhut out from the camp ſeven
daysd, and after that let her be received in agazm.
þ (i. e.) Expreſſed ſome eminent token of indignati:n and con- tempt, which this was, Fob 3o. 10. 1a: 50. 6. c And withdraw her ſelf, from her fathers preſence, as Jonathan did upona like occaſion, x Sam: 20: 34: So though Goi healed her according to Moſes his requeſt, yer he would have her publickly bear the ſhame of her fin, and bea warning to -thersto keep them trom the ſame tranſgrettion. 4 The time appointed for cleanſing the unclean. See Numb: 6: 9: and 31: 19:
t5 Ard Miriam was ſhut out from che camp ſever days : and the people journeyed not, till Miriam was brought in 4g ain ee
e Which was a teſtimony of reſpe& tro her both from God and from the people, God ſo ordering it, partly leſt ſhe ſhould be 0- verwhelmed by ſuch a publick rebuke from God, and partly leſt, ſhe being a Prepheteſs, together with her perſcn, the gift of Pro- pheſic ſhould come into contempr.
16 And afterward the people removed from Haze-
roth f, and pitched in the wilderneſs of Paran g. Ff Where they abode, as isfaid, Numb: 11: 35: for Miriams ſake;
g (7.e:) In another part of the ſame wilderneſs, as may be gathered
from Numb: 10: 12: See alſo Deut: 33: 2: Ir is poſſible they might ' have removed out of one part of that wilderneſs into another wil-
derneſs, and then returned again into another part of it, as we know the Iſraelites had many ſtrange windings and turnings in their
Wilderneſs travels. And this part was more eſpecially called
Rithmah, Numb: 33: 18: and Kadeſh-barnea, Numb. 13: 26: Deut: 1:
Ty. which were two not:d places inthatpait, b"th which ſeem to
be comprehended within their camp, or near adjoining to it.