water, which they are here denied to have done, and a quite dif- fering thing to ſe'] them bread and water when they are upon their very borders, and their own intereſt forced them to do ſo. 2. It may ſeem that it was only thoſe Moabites that awelt tn Ar did fo, as 15 ſaid Devt. 2. 29. and that all the reſt of the people negletted or re- faſed to do it ; and therefore theſin being ſo general and national], no wonder if che puniſhment be ſo too. 3. Theſe and the following words, both here and Neher. 13. 1. are to be taken diſtributively, and this firſt member of the verſe' belongs ro the Ammonites, who did not meet them with bread, &c- and the latter part to the Moabites, who together with the ' Midianites, -but not with the Ammonites, hired Bal aam, &c.
5 Nevertheleſs the LORD thy God would net hearken unto Balaam ; but the LORD thy God turned the curſe intoa blefling unto thee b becauſe the LORD thy God
loved thee. |
h (i. e. ) Forced Balaamto bleſs thee, who was hired and inclined to curſe thee, if poſſibly he could. |
6 Thou thalt not ſeek their peace 7, nor their | pro- ſperity all thy days for ever.
i (i.e. ) Make no Contrafts either by Marriages or Leagues, or commerce with them, but rather ſhalt conſtantly keep a jealous eye over them, as enemies who will warch every opportunity to enſnare or diſturb thee. This counſel was now the more neceſſary, becauſe a grea: part of the 1/-ae/ites lived beyond Jordan in the borders of thoſe pzopl:, and therefore God iets up this wall of partition betwixt them, as well knowing the miſchief of bad Neighbours, an: Iſrael's proneneſs to receive infe&ion from them. Each particula Iſ-aelite is not hereby forbidden to perform any Office of humauity to th:m, -but the body of the Natioa are forbidden all friendly anc familiar converſ«tion with them. :
7 Thou ſhait not abhor an Edomite &, for he is thy brother: thou ibait nor abnor an Egyptian, becauſe
thou waſt a ſtranger in his land m.
k The children of E£dom on'y the Amalekites are excepted by God's particular order, and upon ſp-cial re'fon, Devut. 25. 17, 18, 19. 1 By Eſau, Jacob's Brother. m And didft receive habitation, protetion and proviſion from .them a long time, which kindneſs rhou mutt not forget for-their following perſecution. Ir is ordioary with great menand cthers, thar ons injury or offence blots out che remembrance of twenty courreſi:s ; but God doth not deal ſo with us, nor will he have us to deal {> with others, but commands us to overlook and forget injuries, and to remember kindneſl:s.
$ The children that are begotten of them, fhall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third ge-
neration ”.
» Suppoſing their Grand-father, or great Grand-father turned Proſelyte, and the children continue in that faith received by ſuch anceſtors. : 7” :
9 When the hoſt goeth forth againſt thine enemies then keep thee from every wicked thing 6.
o Then eſpecially rake heed, becauſe that is a time and ſtate ot confuſion and licent;outneis ; waen, as one ſaid, the Laws of God and Man can:ot be heard for the noile of Arms; and becauſe th: ſucceſs of thy Arms and Encerprizes depends upon God's bleſſing, which wicked men have no reaſon to expe& ; and becuuſe thou doi: then carry thy /ife in thy hand, and therefore haſt need to be well Prepared for Death and Judgment. ;
10 It there be among you any man that is not clean by reaſon of uncleannels that chanceth him by night p, then ſhall he go abroad out of che camp q, he ſhall nor come within che camp.
p Of which ſee, Levir. 25. 4, 16, 17 or by uncleanneſs of any like kind, one kind being here, as ofc, put for ail. q Qy. Why dorr. this uncleanneſs oblige a man to go ou* of the Camp, when ict did not eblige him to ſuch a removal. Levir. 15. ? Arſ 1.. It is not unreaſonable if they were obliged to grearer ſtr:Ctnets and purity when they were undercak-ng ſo difficu:t aud dangerous a work. 2.
that it was very hard for his f:llow- Soldiers th-t continued with him
him, which yet was infectious, Lev, 15. 7, 22. 11 But it fall be when evening} cometh on, he ſhall
12 Thou ſhalt have a place alſo without the camp,
q Towit, to eaſe thy (elf, as it follows, werſe. 135 13 And thou thalt have a paddle r up2n thy weapon 3
ſhalt dig therewith, and (halt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee 5. r The narure of which may be known from the uſe, which here
principally that by ſuch ourward rites they might be :nured to the
moſt neceſſary fo to do. | "x4 For the LORD thy God walketh in the midlt of: thy camp 7 to deliver thee, and co give up thine enemies
DR UT B RK © XN GST children of Lt, and by the ſpecial kindneſs of God, and of the
at leaſt ſome of the holy Inſtruments,
before thes ; therefore thall thy camp be holy, that he |
ſee no Þ unclean thing in thee, thee, : : Either becauſe the Ark was commonly preſent with them,
and turn away from
which were pledges of God's preſence : or, becauſe God had promiſed to go forth with them, when they engaged ina juſt and neceſſary war.
15 * Thou ſhalt nor deliver unto his maſter the ſer- vant which is eſcaped from his maſter unto thee s.
# This is not to be underſtood univerſally, as if all {:rvants that flee from their maſters, though without any ſufficient cauſe or co- lour of juſtice, might be detained from them by any perſon to whom they fled tor refuge, for this is apparently contrary toall the Laws of Religion and Juſtice & Charity, ard would open a door, to infinite diſorders and miſchiefs; but it is to be underſtood, r. OF the Servants of Strangers, becauſe it follows, werſe 16. he ſhall awell with thee, even among you, which ſhews that he had dwe't wich and belcng- <d to another people. 2. OF ſuch as belonged to the Canaanites, or o:her neighbouring Netions, becauſe if he had lived in remote Countries, it is nor probably that he would flee ſo far to avoid his Maſter, or thar his Maſter would follow him ſo far to recover him. And for the Cansanites this ſentence was moſt juſt, becauſe both they and theirs were all forfeited to God and to Iſrael, and whatſoever they enjoyed was by ſpecial indulgence. And for the other Neigh-
-ours it may ſeem jult alſo, partly, becauſe ſome of them were .