them from tae Egyptians. A. CHAP. Xx. ty Moſes repeats God's mercies in reſtoring the two Tables, 1 ===; JHaron's death. Eleazar his $1n officiates in hu flead, 6, 7. The Tribe of Levi i ſeparatea for the Priefthoed, 3, 9. God hearkning to Moſes not to deſtroy them, 10. He is commanded to lead towards Canaan, 11. God requires their Obedience, 12 —15. Tocircumciſe their Hearts, 16, 17. To help the Fatherle(s and Widow, 18. To love ſtrangers, 19, To fear and ſerve the Lord for his Mercies towards them, 20 === 22,
T that time 4 the LORD ſaid unto me, * Hew , thee two tables of ſtone like unto the firſt, and come up unto me intothe mount, and make thee an ark of wood b.
2 When God was newly appaſed by my interceſſion. b Either a temporary Ark for this uſe, till the other was finiſhed : or the famous Ark, as may ſeem'by comparing this with wv. 5. Ir is not evident in what order theſe things were done, nor is it ſtrange if Moſes in this ſhort and general relation neglef the order oftime, asbeing nothing to this preſent purpoſe.
2 And I will wrice on the rables, the words that were in the firſt tables which thou brakeſt, and thou ſhalt put them in the ark.
And I made an ark of * ſhittim-wood, and hewed wo tables of ſtone like unto the firft, and went up into *Fxod253 the mount, having the ewo tables in mine hand. PTE
4 And * he wrote on the tables according to the firſt * gxo& writing, the F Ten Commandments, which the 34: 28: LORD ſpake unto you in the mount, out of the midſt f HeÞ- of the fire, in the day of the afſembly ; and the LORD __ gave them unto me. |
5 AndI turned my ſelf: and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made, and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.
6 Andthe children of Iſrael took their journey c from pq. Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to * Moſera &« ; * there I ;
Aaron died e, and there he was buried, and Eleazar his * Numb: 20; 28;
Exod:
43 13
1 ſon miniftred in the prieſts office in his ſtead,
2 F 4 e This
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Chap. NX. DB = PIT E
«following Hiſtory comes in manifeſtly by way of Paren-
By. + _ Ds "nth Ky 10. where he returns to his (ne diſcourſe; and it ſeems to be here inſerted, either, 1. Becauſe the
- Priefts and Levites here mentioned were the Guardians and Keepers of the Ark and Tables here mentioned. Or rather, 2. As an evidence
of God's gracious anſwer to Meſes his prayers, and of his reconcilia-
tiog to the peop'e, nctwithftanding their late and great provocation. For, ſaith he, after this they proceeded by God's guidance 1n their Journeys, ſome eminent ſtages whereof he names for all: and though Aaron died in one of them, yet God made up that Breach, and Eleazar came in his place, and miniſtred as Prieſt, one branch of which office was to intercede for thepeople. Then, ſaith he, God brought them from the barren parts of the wilderneſs to.a land of rivers of waters, ver. 7. a pleaſant and fruitful Soil. Then he adds, God ſeparated the Levites, &c. Yerſe 8. dObjefi. This place ſeems direQly contrary to that, Numb. 33. 31. where their Journey 15 quite contrary to this, even om Moſeroth to Bene-jaakax. This indeed 1$ a great difficulty, and prophane wits take occaſion to cavil. And ifa
. . farisfaftory anſwer be not yet given to it by Interpreters, 1t ought. Hot therefore to be concluded unanſwerable, becauſe many things
' formerly thought unanſwerable, have been ſince fully cleared, and therefore The Tike may be preſumed concerning other doubts yet
© remaining. And it were much more reaſ-nable to acknowledge © here & tranſpoſition of the words through the Scribe's miſtake, than - - upon ſuch pretence to reje& the divine Authority of thoſe ſacred * *- Bopks, which hath been coyfirmed by ſuch irreſiſtable Arguments. Burt there is no need of theſe general pleas, ſeing particular anſwers
are & may be givenrto this difficuity ſufficient to ſatisfie modeſt and impartial enquirers. Anſw. r. The places here mentioned are differing from thoſe, Numb. 33. it being very frequertin Scripture for divers perſons and places to be called by the ſame names, and yet the names
are not wholly the ſame ; for there it is Bene-jaakan,and here Beeroth
” Bene-jaakan, or Beeroth of the children of Jaakan ; there Moſeroth, here _ __ "Mbſerab; there Hor-hagidgad, here Guagodah ; there Jotbathah, here TJotbath. Ttthe places were the ſame, it may juſtly ſeem ſtrange why
Mdſes how'd fo induftriouſly make achange inevery one of the names.
Add therefore thete may bt other Stations, which being omitred 1n Numb. 33. are ſupplied here, it being uſual in ſacr2d Scripture to ſupply the defe&ts of one place out of ancther. Aw. 2. Admitting
.
d then back again from Meſer#h or Meſerorh to Bene-jaakan, as 1» nk - for which. return there might then be ſome ſufficien*