12 And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terrour which Moſes ſhewed in the ſight of all Iſrael.
Com
ST
4
The ARGUMENT. | TT js rot material to know who was the Pen-man of this Book, whether Joſhua, as ſeems moſt 26, or ſome other boly Prophet. It 'is ſufficient, that this Book as a part of the holy Scriptures er Orac
—
probable How Chap. 24.
es of God, com-
mitted to, and carefully kept by the Jews, and by them faithfully delivered to us; as appears by the concurring Tefi-
m07y
of Chriſt and his Apottles, who 0jvned and approved of the ſame Holy Scriptures which the Church of the Jews did. But
this is certain, that divers Paſſages in this Book, were put into it after Jolbua's death, as Jolh. 10. 17. compared with 2 Sam.
I. 18. and Jolh. 19. 4 in the froe Books of Moles, - CHAP. L
God commands Joſhua to lead the People unto the Land of Canaan, — It's Borders, 4. God promiſes to aſſiſt him, 5,6. Commanding him 70 obſerve the Law, 7-—9. He prepares the People to paſs over Jordan, 10, 11. Remmds the Reubenites, Gadites, and half Tribe of Ma- naſſek. of their Promiſe to Moſes, 12==15. Which they are ready to ao; and all promiſe to obey, 16——=18.
OW after the death of Moſes s, the ſervant,of the N the LORD 5, it came to paſs that the LORD ſpake c unto Joſhua the ſon of Nun, Moſes *miniſter 4, ſaying,
Either immediately after it, or when the days of mourning for
Moſes were expired. Joſhua was appointed and declared Moſes his Suc- ceſſor in the Government before this time; and therefore doubrleſs
entred upon the Government inſtantly after his death ; and here he
receives confirmation from God therein. 6 This ritle is given to Moſes here and verſe 2. as alſo Deur. 34. 5. and is oft repeated not without cauſe, partly to refle& Honour upon him, partly to give Authority to his Laws and Wcirings, in publiſhing whereof he on- ly afted is God's Servant, in his name and ſtead. And partly that the 1/raelites might not think of Moſes above what was meet, remem- bring that he was not the Lord himſelf, but only the Lord's Servant; and therefore not to be worſhipped,nor yet to be too pertinaciouſly followed in all his Inſtitutions, when rhe Lord himſelf ſhould come and aboliſh part ofthe Motaical Diſpenſartion ; ir being bur reaſon- able that he who was only a Servant in God's houſe, ſhould give place to him who was the Son, and Heir, and Lord of it, as Chriſt was. See Heb. 3. 3,5, 6, <c Either in a Dream or Viſion, or by Urim, Numb. 27. 21. 4 (i.e.) Who had waited upon Moſes in his great Employments, and thereby been privy to his Managery of the Govetnment, and ſo fitted and prepared for it. :
2 Moſes my ſervant is dead: now therefore ariſe, go
over this Jordan e, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give f to them, ever to the children of
Iſrael.
e This which is now near thee, which 1s the only obſtacle in thy way to Canaan. f (i. e.) Am now about to give the aQtual Poſlei- ſion of iv, as I formerly gave a riglit ro it by promiſe.
'2 * Every place g that the ſole of your foot ſhall tread upon, that bave I given unto you, as I ſaid unto Moſes.
g To wit, within the following bounds. 4 * From the wilderneſs, and this Lebanon þ, even
unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites 5, and unto the greater ſea k, toward the
g0ing down of the ſun, ſhall be your coaſt /.
h This emphatically, as being the moſt eminent Mountain in Syris, and the Northern border of the Land : Or this which is with- in thy view ; as if the Lord appeared to him in the form of a man, and pointed to it. # (i. e.) Of the Canaanites, who elfe-where are all called Amorites, as Gen. 15. 16. and here Hittites by a Synecdoche : the Hiztites being the moſt conſiderable and formidable of all, as may appear from Numb. 13. 33. and 14. 1. 2 Kings 7.6. And many of them being of the race of the Giants, dwelling about Hebron : See Gen, 25.9, 10. and 26, 34. and 27. 46. k The Midland-ſea, great in it ſelf, and eſpecially compared with thoſe leſſer Colle&ions of waters, which the Jews called Seas. 1 Obje#. The Iſraelites never poſſeſſed all this Land. Arnſw. r. That was from their own ſloth and cowardize, and diſobedience to God, and breach of thoſe Conditions upon which this Promiſe was ſuſpended : See Juages 2. 20, 2, This Land was not all to be poſſeſſed by them at once, but. by degrees, as their numbers and neceſlities increaſed ; But Canaan' being fully ſufficient for them, and many of the Iſraelites being from time to time either cut off, or carried captive for their ſins, There was never any need of enlarging their Poſſeſſions. 3. Though
their Poſſeſhons extended not to Euphrates, yet their Dominion did, andall thoſe Lands were tributary to them 3n David's and. Solomon's
kyne,
CONE
7. compared with Judg. 18.1. and Joſh. 24. 29. 30. And ſuch like Inſertions have been obſerved
5 There ſhall not any man be able to ſtand before
thee all the days of thy life : as I was with Moſes mv, ſo "Heb. 14.
I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forſake 5- Deur: thee ». | | 31. 6, 18; m To aſliſt him againſt all his enemies, and in all the difficulties
of governing this ſtitf-necked people, which 79/bus might juſtly fear no Iſs than the Canaanites. n I will not leave thee deſtitute, nei- ther of inward ſupport, or of outward afliſtance, = | 6 ” Be ſtrong, and of a good conrages: for unto , _ this people ſhalt thou divide for an inheritance, the land ——_
? which I ſware unto their fathers to give them. + 0:57 0 Foſbua, though a perſon of great Courageand Reſolution, where- ſhal; x cauſe
of he had given ſufficient Proof, yet needs rheſe Exhorrations, this people =
partly becauſe his work was great, and difficulr, and long, and in 7, inherit 2 great meaſure new; Partly becauſe he had a very mean opinion :he land; of himſelf, eſpecially if compared with Moſes; and remembririg gc. how perverſe and ungovernable that people. were, even under Moſes,
he might very well ſuſpe& the burden of ruling them would be too
heavy for kis ſhoulders. p Which ſuppoſeth the full conqueſt of the
Land. That Honour and Aſſiſtance which I denied to Moſes, I will
give to thee. :
7 Only be thor ftrong, and very courageous, that , ,_.. thou mayeſt obſerve to do according to all the Law * - pop which Moſes my ſervant commanded thee q: * turn not * Deur. from it to the right hand or to the left r, that thou may- 5. 32. and eſt + proſper s whitherſoever thou goeſt 7. | + ts