fore his death. | : s He is ſaid to bc them miniſterially, partly by praying to Go with faith for his bleſſing upon them ; partly by forctelling the bleflings which God would confer upon them: for the Prophets are oft ſaid to do what they forctel ſhould be done,as Ger.49.7.Fer-1.10- Exek.q3.3.Hoſ.6.5. And Moſes calls himſelf here the man of Goa, 2. e- as this phraſe ſignifies, x Sam. 9. 6, 7- 1 Tim. 6. 11.to acquaint them that the following proc- pheſies were not his own inventions, but divine inſpirations. b (7. e. ) The ſeveral Tribes : only Simeon is omitted, either 1. in dete- ſtation of their parent Simeon his bloody and wicked carriage, for which Jacob alſo gives that Tribe a curſe rather than a bleſſing, 1 Gen.49. But as for Levi,who is joyned with him in that cenſure and curſe, Gen. 49. 5, 6, 7. he is here ſeparated from him, and exempt- edfrom that curſe, and blefſed with an eminent bleſſing for a ſingu- Jar and valuable reaſon expreſſed here v.8, 9. whereas Simeons Tribe had been ſo far from expiating their fathers crime that they added
new ones, their Prince being guilty of another notorious crime,
Numb. 25. 6, 14. and his Tribe too much concurring with him 1n ſuch a&ions, as interpreters gather from the great diminution of the numbers of that Tribe, which were 59300 in Numb: 1. 23. and but 22200 in Numb. 26. 14. which was near 4o years after. Or 2. becauſe that Tribe had no diſtin& Inheritance, but was to have his portion in the Tribe of Judah, as he had Jof: 19: 1: and therefore he muſt needs partake with them in their bleſſings.
2 And he ſaid, The LORD came c from Sinai 4, and
' roſe up e from Seir f unto them : he ſhined forth from Heb.boly mount Paran g, and he came with | ren thouſands of
Saints þ : from his right hand # went Þ a fiery law & for
them. '
c To wit, to the Iſraelites, 7. e. manifeſted graciouſly and glori- ouſly among them. 4 (7. e.) Beginning at Sina!, where the firit and moſt glorious appearance of God was, and ſo going on with them to Seirand Paran. Or, to Sinai, the particle, mem, oft ſignifying, zo, as is evident by comparing 7/s: 59; 20: with Rom: 11: 26: 1 King: 8: 30: with 2 Chron: 6: 21. and 2 Sam. 6.2.with 1 Chron. 13.6: See allo Gen.2.8.and 11.2.and 13. 11. 1 S977. 14+ 15. Or, in Sinai, mem being put for beth, in, as Exod. 25. 18. Deut. 15. 1. Job 19. 26. Pſal. 68. 29. and 72: 16. He appeared or ſhewed himſelf, asthe Sun doth when it riſeth. f 7. e. From the mountain or land of Edo, which is called Seir, Gen: 32: 3: and 36;8: Deut:.2:4: to which place the 1ſraclites came, Num: 20: 14,&c« and from thence God led them on towards the land of promiſe, and then gloriouſly appeared for them in ſubduing $:- hon and Og before them and giving their countries unto them. W hich glorious work of Gods is particularly celebrated Juag: 5:4. But be- cauſe the land of Seir or Edom is ſometimes taken more largely,and ſo reacheth even to the Red-ſea, as appears from 1 Kings 9: 26; 2nd therefore mount Sinai was near to it, and becauſe Paran,which here follows, was alſo near Sinaz, as being the next ſtation into which
. they came from the wilderneſs of Sinai,Numb: 19: 12: all this verſe
may belong to Gods appearance in mount $Sinaz, where that glori- ous light which ſhone upon mount Sa; dire&ly, didin all proba- bility ſcatter jts beams into adjacent parts, ſuch as Seir and Paran were, and ſo this is only a Poetical and Prophetical variation of the phraſe and expreſſion of the ſame thing in divers words, and God coming or riſing or ſbining from or to or in Sinai and Seir and Paran note one and the ſame illultrious aftion of God appearing there with ten thouſands of his Saints or holy Angels, and there giving a fe- ry law to them, as it here follows. And this interpretation may re- ceive ſome ſtrength from Hab: 3: 3: where this glorious march of God before his people is remembred, only Teman,which ſignifies the South is pur for Scir, which is here, poſſibly ro ſignify, that that Seir which is here menticned was to be underſtood of the Seuthern part of the country of Serr or Edom, which was that part adjoyning ro the Reaiſes Others refer this of Seir to the Brazen Serpent, that eminent type of Chriſt, which was eretted in this place. z A place where God eminently manifeſted his preſence and goedneſs, both in giving the-people fleſh which they deſired, and in appointing the 70 Elders and pouring forth his Spirit upon them, Numb. 11. Though the Expoſition mentioned in the foregoing branch may ſcern more probable. + (z.e.) With a great company of holy An- gels, Pſal: 68: 17: Dan: 7: 10;which attended upon himin this great and glorious work of giving the law, as may be gathered from 4#s 7. 53+ Gal. 3.19. Heb. 2. 2. and 12. 22. # Which both wrote the law and gaye it to men. An alluſion to men who ordinarily write and give gifts with their right, and not with their Jefr, hand. k
' The law is called fry, partly becauſe it is of a: fiery nature, purging
and ſearching and inflaming, for which reaſons Gods word is com- pared to fire, Jer. 23. 29. partly to ſignify that fiery wrath and curſe which it inflieth upon ſinners for the violation of ir, 2 Cor. 3: 7, 9: and principally becauſe it was delivered out of the midſt of the fire, -Exod. 19: 16, 18. Deut: 4: 11. and s. 22, 23.
3 Yea, he loved the people }: all his ſaints mare in
.thy hand », and they fat down at thy feet ; every ne
ſha] receive of thy words p.