the border of Moab,between Moab and the Amorites x.
u Or rather, on this fide of Arnon,for ſo it now was to the Jſraelites, who had not yet paſſed over it, as appears from Deur. 2. 24. But the ſame words, judg. 11. 18. are to be rendred, on the other ſide of Arnon, for ſo it was to Jephthah : and the ſame Prepofition lignihieth on this fide, or beyond, accoruing tothe circumſtanc.s of the place. x ( i. e ) Though formerly it and the land beyond it b longed ro Moab, yet af.crwards it had been taken from them by $/hon, werſe 26. 28. This is added to reconcile two ſeemingly contrary .com- mands of God, the one that ofnot medling with the land of the Moabites, Det. 2. 9. the other that of going over 4770 and taking poſſeſſion of the land beyond it, Devt. 2. 24. becauſe, ſaith he, ir is not now the land of the Moabites, but of the Amorites.
14 Wherefore it is ſaid in the book of the wars of the
10r 74heþ LORD 7, || what he did in the Red-lea z, and in the
#Suphah. brooks 4 of Arnon ; We y This ſeems to have been ſome Poem or narration of the wars and victories of the Lord, either by or relating to the Iſraelires, which may be alerted without any prejudice to the integrity of the Holy Scripture, becauie thi: book doth nt appear to have i cen written by a Prophet,or to be deſigned fo-a pa r of the Canon,bur by ſome other ingenious perſ n,who intended on'y to write an h - ſtor ical relation of theſe matters, which yer Moſes might quoreza,; St. Paul doth ſome of the heathen Foets. And as St.Lyke aſſures u+,that many {:id write an i:1ſtory of the things done a-d fail by Chris, Luke 1.1.whoſe w:itirngs were never received as Cinonical ; the like may be juſtly conceived concerning this and fome few or er books m-ntioned in the old Teſtament. Though the » o ds may be thus rendrea,rerefore it ſhall be (aid in the relation or narrati:n ( for ſo the Hebrew Sepher is confeſſed ro ſignihe ) of the wars of the Lord. xz Or,At Vaheb in Suphah,or in the land of Suph. Vahcb ſeerns to be the name not of a man, but of a city or place,and Suphah the name of the country where it was ; and the Hebrew particle eth1is oft rendred at. And whereas the ſenſe ſeems to be imperfeC&, it mu be noted, that he quotes only a f-14gment or piece of the book,and that principally to prove the ſ{cituation of Arnon,which he had aſſerted wer. +. for which end the paſſage qu red is ſutticient. And the ſenſe 15 eaſily ro be un- derſtood, for it is plain enough that this Poet or Writer is deſcri- bing the wars and works of God by the ſeveral place: where they were done, and having bezu' the £: tence befo-e. and mentione1 other places, he comes to theſe here me tioned, Ar Yaheb in Suphah, and at the brooks of Arnon, &c. And it ſeems probable that the was here deſigned was that of Sihon again'! the M abites, mentioned be- low, ver.26.which is fitly aſcribed to the Lord,becauſe it was under- taken and perfe&ed by the ſingular dir-&ion and affiftance ot God, an© that for the ſake of the 1ſ-aelites, that by thi. means that coun- try might be invaded and poſſeſſes by them, withour taking it a- way from the M abites which they were forbidden to mecdle with or to diſtu:b Deut. 2.9.and ſo their title to it might be more juſt and unqueſtionable. See Judg. 11. 12, 13, 27. # (7.e. ) The brook, the plural number for the ſingular, as the plural number rivers is ſed concerning Jordan, Pſal. 74. 15. and concerning Tigris, Nah. 2.6.and concerning Euphrates, Pſal. 137. 1. and co'.cerning 7hermod.on in Virgil,all which may be ſo called becauſe of the ſeveral little fNreams into which they were divided. 15 And art the ſtream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Arb, and Flieth upon the border of
Moab. b A chief city in Moab, as appears from 1ſs.15.1. of which v. 28. 16 And from thence th-y went to Beer c : that is the we!l whereof the LORD ſpaks unto Moſes, Gather the people together, and I will give them water d.
c This place and Mattanah, Nahaliel,and Bamoth named here, werſe T9. are not mentioned among thoſe places where they pirched or encamped, Numb. 33. Either therefor they did not pitch or en- camp in theſe places, butonly.paſs by or through them, nor indee-
* chap.33- 43: * chap. 333
44 +} Or,heaps of Abarim,
t Heb: leaneth,
IS it hexe ſaid they pitched or encamped in theſe places, which is {aid of thoſe places, Numb, 33. bur only that they went to them,ve/c
IIS
N O M HE RY
Chap. XXI; 18. or, theſe are ſtations omitted there, and to te furplicd frem hence; for though it be there ſaid they went frem juch a place, and pitched in tuch a place, yet it is not ſaid they went in medi- ately from the one place to the cther, and therefore they might take theſe places in their way. - 4 To wit, in 2 wiracu!ous manner.
17. Then lirael fang this ſong e, + Spring up f, O + Heb, well, [|Sing ye unto it ||. aſcend. *
e To praiſe God for giving them ſuch a ſeaſonable bleſſing,befo:e |. Or, 4 they asked it or complained for the want of it. fGive forth thy ſwer. waters that we may diink.Heb.oſcend, 7.e.let thy watcrs,v hich now ly hd Lelow in the earth,aſcend for thy uſe. Iris cither a predi&i- on that it ſhould ſpring up,or a prayer that it might,or a command in the name of God direticd to the well, by an utual Prolopopzia,as when God bids the heavens hear and the earth give ear, (jc. 1.2.Apy cf theſe ways it ſhes their taith. , Or, fag ze of t, cr, :2jwer 70 7t Or concerning it ; it being the manner of the Jew!ſb ſingers, thar one ſhould anſwer to another, of which fee Exod. 15. 21. 1 Sam. 18, 7.
138 The princes digged g the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the diredien of the lawgiver b, with irftaves;: And from the wilderneſs hey went to Macttanah :