Lord be great z, according as thou haſt ſpoken, ſaying,
z (i. e.) Appear to be great, diſcover its greatneſs. A real verb put for a declarative, or the thing for the manifeſtation of the thing. And this may be underſtood either 1. of Gods power 1n pre- ſerving the people and carrying them on into Canaan, whech ſenic may ſcem to be favoured by the foregoing verſe, where the £2yp77- aus deny that God had power to do ſo. And according to that ſence he adds the following words, not as an explication of this po ver, but as an argument to move him to ſhew forth his power for his people notwithſtanding their ſms, according as, or rather becauſe ( as the H:brew word is oft rendered) he had ſpoken ſaying,&c. and ſo he ſhould maintain the honour and the truth of his own name or of thoſe tirles which he had aſcribed to himſelf. Or 2. the
power of his grace and mercy, or 7h? greatneſs of his mercy, as he calls it, wer: 19, in pardoning of this and their other fins: for to this the following words manifeſtly reſtrain it, according as thou haſt ſpoken &c. where the pardon of their ſins is the only initance of thi, power both deſcribed in Gods titles,ver: 18. and prayed for by Moſes, wer: 19: pardon, I beſeech thee, ©&c. and granted by God in an- ſwer to him, wer: 20. I have pardoned, &'c. Nor is it ſtrange that the pardon of ſin, eſpecially of ſuch great ſins, be ſpoken of as an at of power in: God, becauſe undoubtedly it 1s an aft of omni- potent, and infinite goodneſs ; whence deſpairing ſinners {ome- times cry out, thar their fins are greater than Go.1 can pardon, as ſome tranſlate Cains words. Gen: 4: 13. And ſince power is applied to Gods wrath in puniſhing ſin, Rom: 9. 22. why may it nor as well be attributed to Gods mercy in forgiving it ? Eſpecially if it be conſidered that even in men, revenge 15 an att of impotency, and conſequently it muſt needs be an a& of power to conquer their paſhons and inclinations to revenge, and to pardon thoſe enemies whom they could deſtroy. :
is The LORD 5s * long-ſuffering, and of zrear mercy, forgiving iniquity and tranſgreflion, and by no means clearing rhe guilty, * viſiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth
generation A,
a3 Theſe words may ſeem to be very improperly mentioned, as being a powerful argument to move God ro deſtroy this wicked people, and not to pardon them. Ir may be anſwered, that Moſes uſeth theſe words together with the reſt, partly becauſe he would not ſever what God had put together, and did not deſire a full and abſolute pardon, Fhak was willing that God ſhould execute his vengeance upon the principal authors of
* Exod. 34. 6. Pfal: 104.8, *Exod. 20.5.and
34- 7+
NUMBE R S.
——
artly to ſhew thar he
this rebellion,and leave ſome charaQter of his diſpleaſure upon all the |
people, as God did, but only that God would not difinherit them wer: 12: nor kill all the people as one man, wer; +5. nor deſtroy them both root and branch, becauſe he had promiſed not to extend his wrath againſt them in puniſhing their ſins beyond the third and fourth generation. But the truer anſwer ſeems to be, t!1at theſe
words are to be tranſlated otherwiſe, and in deſtroying he will not ut< |
terly deſtroy, though he viſit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation, Of which ſee the nutes on Exod: 34: 7. where all this verſe is explained.
19 Pardon,l beſeech thee,the iniquity of this people, according to the greatneſs of thy mercy.and as thou haſt forgiven this people from Egypt, even * until now 6.
b Affer many and great provocations : ſhew thy ſelf ſtill to be the ſame ſin-pardoning God
20 And the LORD ſaid, I have pardoned according
to thy word c. ;
c So far, as not utterly to deſtroy them, as I threatned wer: 12. and thou didſt fear, and beg the prevention of it, wer. x5.
21 But truly as I live, * all the earth ſhall be filled with the glory of the LORD 7.
a ( #. e.) Wirth the report of the glorious and righteous a&s of God in puniſhing this rebellious people in manner follo:»1ng. That this is the true ſence, appears both from the particle of oppoſition, and the ſolemn introduction of them, Bur truly as I live, and from the following verſes, becauſe all theſe zen, &c. which come in with- out any note of oppoſition, and have a manifeſt relation to and connettion with this verſe.
* Or, hi-
therto.
* Pfal. 2.19.
ry e, and my miracles which I did in Egypt,and in the
Chap. Univerſally and conltantly,in and through diſficultiesand dangers, which made his partners halt. & In general, Canaan, and parti- culaily Hebron, and the adjacent parts, Joſz 14: 9. 1 Or, ſhall expel 4, 1. e. its innabitants, the land being oft pur for the people of it, Compare 7oſ: 8: 7: and 14: 12. .aF( Now the Amalekites, and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley ms ) ro morrow turn ye, and get ye into the wilderneſs, by the way of the Red-ſea n.. _T