a (5. e. ) The fury of war,which is oft and fitly compared to fire here, as 7/4.47.14. Amos 1. 7,10,12,14. & 2. 2,5. b That city which before was a refuge and defence to all the country, now 15 turned into a great annoyance and a publick miſchief. c Queſt. How can this be, ſince Ar was yet in the hands of the Moabites, Dent. 2. 9, 18,2 ? nf. 1.This may be underſtood not of the city 4r, but ofthe peo- ple or the country ſubje& or belonging to that great and royal ci- Ty,as the Chaldee underſtands it. 2.Poſhbly Ar was taken by S:hon of the Moabices, but afterwards was either recovered by the Moavites, or upon the Jſraelites approach quitted by Sihon,gathering all his Forces together, that he might fight with the 1/-aelites,and fo repoſſefled by the Moabites. '3.This place may be thus rendred, 1t ſhall conſume 4r of Moab,the paſt tenſe being pur for the furure as is uſual 1n prophe- rica? paſſages; and ſo this may be rhe Amorites prediCtion or pre-
* ſage, That having taken Heſbbon and its territories, they ſhould now extend thcir victories to &r of Moab, though they fell ſhort of that hope, as ordinarily men do. Either 1. the Princes or Governours of the ſtrong holds, which were frequently in high places, efpecial- ly in that mountainous country,and which were in divers parts all along the river of Ann, and having taken ſome of theſe, they pro- miſed to themſelves that they ſhould take all the reſt, and fo pro- ceed further and further, till they had taken 4 it ſelf. Or rather 2. the prieſts and people that worthip their god in their high places: which may ſeem more probable, 1. becauſe as the 7/raelites worſhip- ped God, {o the heathens worſhipped Bal, in high places,Numb.22. 41. and particularly the Mo#bites are noted for ſo doing, Jer. 48. 35. 2. Becauſe 2mongſt theeminent places of Moab there is mention of Bamoth-baal, or, of the high places of Baal, Joſ. 13. 17.
29 Wo to thee, Moab e ; thou art undone,O | SY of * Chemoſh f : he hath given his ſons that eſcaped, and his daughters into captivity g, unto Sihon king of
the Amorites 4.
e Alas poor Moab, thou couldſt not fave thy ſelf from $ihon's ſword. f (7. e.) The worſhippers of Chemoſh : ſo the god of the Moavites was called, 1 King. 11. 7,33. 2 King. 23. 13. Jer. 48. 46. g He, (7. e. ) their god, hath delivered up his own people to his and their enemics ; he could nordefend them, but ſuffered many ofthsm to be killed, nor could he ſecure even thoſe that had eſcaped the ſword, but ſuffered them to fall into their enemies hands, and by them to be carried into captivity. þ Now the words ofthis and the following verſe ſcemto be not a part of that triumphant ſong or po-
em made, as I ſuppoſe, by ſome 4moritijþ bard or poet, which ſeems | to be concluded, werſe 28. but of the Iſraelites making their obſerva« |
rion upon it. And here they ſcoffat the impotency nor only of the Moabites, but of their god alſo, who could not fave his people from the ſword of Sihon and the Amorites.
20 We have ſhot at them : Heſhbon is periſhed,even unto Dibon &, and we have laid them waſte even unto
Nophah, which reached unto Medebah 7.
.; Though you feeble Moabrres, and your god too, could not re- ſilt $iton, we Iſraelites, by the help ofour God, have hor, to wit, with ſucceſs and viory, as the following words ſhew, at them, to wir, at Sihonand his Amorites ; which is eaſily and plainly underſtood, both from the foregoing and following words. k Heſbbou the Roy- al City of Sihon, and by him lately repaired, 7s periſbed, 1s taken a- way from Sihon, and ſo is all his Territory or Country, even as far as Dibon, which, as ſome think, is called Dibou-gad, Numb. 33. 45. I (i.e. ) Whoſe Territory extendeth to Medeba. Or, yea, even to
Medeba : for the Hebrew word aber, is ſometimes uſed for yea, or moreover, as 1 Sam. 15.20. Pſal. 10. 6. and gs. 11. The ſenſe is, the whole Country of Sihon, taken by him from the Moabires, is waſted and periſhed. -
31 Thus Iſrael dwelt in the land ofthe Amorites.
32 And Moſes ſent to ſpy out Jaazer m,, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that as there.
»2 One of the Cities of Moab formerly taken from them by $S:hon, and now taken from him by the 1ſraelires, Numb. 32. 1, 3, 35. and after the decay or deſtru&tion of the Kingdom of the Ten Tribes, repoſleſled by the Moabites, Fer. 48. 32.
233 * And they turned, and went up by the way of Ba- ſhan: and Og » the king of Baſhan 0 went out againſt them, he, and all his people, tothe battel at Edrei.
n Who alſo was a King of the Amorites, of whom ſee Deur. 3. 1 11. And it may ſeem that Sihon and Og were the leaders and Cap- tains of two great Colonies which came out of Canaan, and drove out the former Inhabitants of theſe places. o A rich Country, fa- mous for its paſtures and breed of Cattel, Deur. 32. 154. Pſal. 22. 12. Jer. 50. 19. and for its Oaks, Ezek. 27. 6.
34 And the LORD faid unto Meſes, Fear him not p:for I have delivered him into thy hand,and all his people,and his land,and * thou ſhalt do to him, as thou didſt unto Sihon King of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heſhbon.
p A neceſſary caution, for he wasa great Giant, Deut.3.11. likely T0 ſtrike them with terrour.
25 So they ſmote him, and his Sons, and all his peo-
Chap. ple, until there was none left him alive, and they poſ-
CHAP. XXI..
Fhe Iſraelites pitch in the Plains of Moab, 1. Balak the King ſends for Ba» lanm to curſe Iſrael, 2-8, He enquires of the Lird, who forbids him 70 20: He goes nit, Q=—14. Balak jends again: The Lord permits Balaam to go, 15--==——=21, 4n Angel lands in the way ; which his A(s perceives : His eyes are at length opened to ſee the Angel, who rebukes him, 22===-=-=33. He confeſſes his fault, . and offers to go back: He is commanded to go on, and ſpeak as ſhould be revealed to him, 34, 35. Ba= lok c:mes to meet him ; receives him ; expoftulates with him ; he declares he has no power but to ſpeak the Word which God ſhould put into his mouth, 3G===n——4 I.
A ND * the children of Iſrael ſet forward,and pitch- ed in the plains of Moab 4, on this ſide Jordan
by Jericho b.
a Which fill retained their antient title, though they had been taken away from the Moabites by Sihon, and from him by the 1ſraelites. b (i.e. ) Over againſt Fericho, Or, near the paſſage over Jordan to Jericho, or its Territories,
2 And Balak the ſon of Zippor c ſaw all that Iſrael
had dene to the Amorites.