were divided into four camps, Numb. 2. which Balaam from this height could eatily diſcover: Much leſs can any man number all their hoſt. » (7. e.) Of this righteous and boly People, the 1/-aelites, called Jeſurun, Deut. 32.15, which word ſignifies upright or righteous. The ſenſe is, they are not only happy above other nations in this life, as I have faid, and therefore in vain thould Icurſe them, bur they have this peculiar priviledge, that they are happy after death : Their happineſs begins where the happineſs of other people ends; and therefore I heartily wiſh that my ſoul may have its por- tion with theirs when I dye. But it was a vain wiſh; for as he would not live as God's pe: ple cid, ſo he died by the ſwoid, as others of God's enemies did, Numb: 31.8. Jo. 13. 22. 2 (5. e.) My death, as the- word 1s uſed. Or, My poſterity, as this Hebrew word ſignifies Pſal, 109. 13. Dan. 11. 4. Amos 4. 2. And as the covenant and bleling of God given to Abraham did reach to his poſte: ity, ſo this might not be unknown ro Balaam, which might give him occaſion for this wiſh. Or, my reward, as the word is taken, Prov: 23. 18. and 24 20 But the firſt ſenſe ſeems the moſt true, becauſe it agrees beſt with the uſage of Scripture to repeat the ſame thing in other words, and this includes the third ſenſe, to wit, the reward which is here ſup- poſed tro follow dezth; And for poſterity, it doth not appear that he had any, or, ifhe had, that he was ſo very ſolicitous for them : or that he knew thetenour of God's covenant with Abraham and his poſterity. Nay he rather ſeems to have had ſome hope of ruining £Zoraham's poſterity, which he attempted both here and afterwards. 11 And Balak faid unto Baiaam, What haſt thou done unto me? I took thee to curſe mine enemies, and be- hoid, thou haſt bleſſed rherz altogether. | 12 And he anſwered and faid, Muſt I not take heed to ſpeak that which the LORD hath pur in my mouth «?
a I ſpeak not theſe words by my own choice, b : ſtraint of an higher Power which 76% hn reſiſt. » but by the con-
13 And Balak faid unto him, Come,I pray thee with me unto another place, from whence thou mayelt ſee chem : thou ſhalt ſee but the utmoſt part of them, and ſha}tnor ſee themall b: and curſe me them from thence.
b He thought the ſight of the people neceſſar { ary both to excite Ba- laam's paſſions, and to ſtrengthen and dire& his cc Exarpang =
Chap XXII, J
he would now have him ſee but a pa cauſe the tighr of all of them miche ye 179i wes -o and, as it did before, raite his fancy to an admiration of "'., Ie. tude and of the felicity of the people, wer: 9, 10. Ng
14 And he brought him into the field of Lophim c to the top of || Piſgah 4, and built ſeven altarsz and of. || Or, rod : bullock and a ram on every altar. _
c aceſo ca!l'd from the ſpie 77 :hich wer | 'd An figh hill inthe land of Nah, x er I mg - oqpine oe:
15 And hefaid unto Balak, Stand here by thy burne-
offering, while I meet the LORD e yonder.
e To conſult him, and to receive an anſwer from him, if perad-
venture thoſe renewed ſacrifices will im i : melt him into : ance with our deſires. ſome compli-
16 And the LORD met Balaam f, and * put a word
in his mouth, and ſaid, go again to B 7: Fchap. 21] | alak CHAP. 22 f See above on werſe 4. and Numb: 22. 35. » and ſay thus. 35:
| _ 17 And when he came to him, behold, he ſtood by his burnt-offering, . and the princes of Moab with hin And Balak faid unto him, What hath the LORD ſpoken? 18 And he took up his parable, and ſaid, Riſe up Balak, and hearken unto me, thou ſon of Zippor: _- f This word implies, either 1. The reverence wherewith he ſhould hear and receive God's meſſage, as Ehud did, Judg: 3. 20. whi h might have been probable, if Balak had been now ſittins. as Ebud there was: But he was ſtanding, wer: 15. Or rather 2. The dil bt attention required; roufe up thy ſelf and carefully mind whatT fay. Ig * God is not a man that he ſhould lie þ neither *1 Sam, the ſon of man, that he ſhould repent i : hath he ſajg —_ 3
and thall he not do it 4? or hath he 155 297 he not make it good? 1 ne Ipoken, and ſhall SHES.
h (i. e.) Break his Faith and Promiſes made ; |
. / : | to his P oo their preſervation and benediQtion. 7'(7. e.) Change his as 1A — Jam, 1117! purpoſes; Which men do, either becauſe they are not able to exe.
cute them, or becauſe they are better informed, and their minds
changed by ſome unexpe&ed occurrent, or by their Juſts and paſ- And therefoze I plainly lee
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paſs, that every ore that is bitten, when he looketh
upon it, {hal live p. | Es n (i. e.) The figure ofa ſerpent in braſs, which is of a fiery co- Jour. This would :equire ſome time : God would nor ſpeedily take off the judgn.ent, becaule he. ſaw they were not thoroughly hum- bled. o That the people might ſee ir from all parts of the camp,and therefore the pole mutt be high, and the ſerpent large. p This me- thod of cure was preſcribed, partly that it might appear to be Gods own work, and not the cffect of nature orart: and partly that it might be an eminent type of our ſelvation by Chriſt. See 70þ.3.14, 15. The ſerpent ſignified Chriſt, who was 7 the likeneſs of ſmful feejb, Rom. 8.3. though withour ſin, as this brazen ſerpent had the out- ward ſhape, bur n-t the inward poiſon, of the other ſerpents : the pole reſembl-d the croſs upon which Chriſt was lift up for our fal- vation : and looking up to it deſigned our believing in Chift. ..., 9 And* Moſes made aferpent of braſs ,and put it upon + Kng: avole,and it came to paſs,that ita ſerpent had bitten any Jak. 14. man, when he beheld the ſerpent of braſs, he lived gq. 9g He wasdelivered from death, and cured of his diſcale. : 10 And the children of Iſrael fer forward, and
pitched in Oboth r, | r Not immediately,burt after two other ſtations mentioned,Num.33.
11 And they journeyed from Oboth, * and pitched at + lje-Abarim, in the wilderneſs which is before Mo-
ab 5 toward the {un-rifing. s Called the wilderneſs of Moab, Dent. 2.8. ; k 12 From thence they removed, and pitched in the
valley of Zared z.
t Or rather, by the torrent or brook of Zared,as we render it, Deut. 2. 13. which ran into the dead fea, and from which the valley al- ſo might be ſo called. :
12 From thence they removed, and pitched on the
other ſide of Arnon «, which is in the wilderneſs, that cometh out of the coaſts of the Aworites : for Arnon 2.