. 85 be bath given you, and they alſo have poſleſſed the
land which the LORD your God giveth them : then ye ſhall return unto the land of your poſleflion, and enjoy
it, which Moſes the LOR D's Servant gave you on this
ſide Jordan, toward che Sun-riſing. '16 And they anſwered h Joſhua, ſaying,All that thou commandeſt us, we will do, and whitherſoever thou
ſendeft us, we will go.
b (i. c.) The Reubenites, &c. mentioned werſe 12. to whom Jo- ſbua's Diſcourſe is confined, werſes 13, 14, 15. No doubt the other Tribes expreſſed the ſame thing ; but this is only recorded con-
- cerning theſe, becauſe that might ſeem moſt doubtful, and the o-
bedience of the.reſt was unqueſtionable.
175 According as we hearkned unto Moſes inall things, fo will - we hearken unto thee 5: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moſes &.
#5 The ſame obedience which we owed, and thoſe of us who are |
now alive generally performed to Moſes, we promiſe unto thee. k This is not a limitation of their obedience, as if they would not obey him any further or longer than he was proſperous or ſucceſſ- ful ; bur an additional Prayer for him. As we have hereby pro- miſed thee our obedience, ſo our Prayer ſhall be, That God would bleſs and proſper thee, as he did Moſes.
18 Whoſoerer be be that doth rebel againſt thy com-
_ mandment, and yill not hearken unto thy words in ali
that thou commandeft him /, he ſhall be put to death;
only be ftrong, and of a good courage.
A ND Joſhua the ſon of Nun ſent 4 out of Shittim, -A 5 cwomenc, to ſpy d | ſecretly e, ſaying, Go view the land, even Jericho f: and they went *, and * 4 * l came into an harlots g houſe, named * Rahab, and T7 lodged h there. Or, had ſent, as that Tenſe is oft uſed : See on Joſh. 1. 11. b
partly becauſe the people of Canaan were now more alarm'd than in Moſes his time, and more ſuſpicious of all ſtrangers ; and partly be- cauſe thoſe were to view the whole land, theſe but a ſmall parcel of it. 4 (i, e.) To learn the ſtate of the land and people, and what wa and method they ſhould proceed in. Ir is gvident enough, Thar Joſhua did not this out of diſtruſt, as the people did, Deut. ». and it 15 moſt probable, he had God's command and direCtion in it, for the encouragement of himſelf and his Army in their preſent Enter- Prize, e With reference not to his enemies, which being the con- ſtant and neceſſary prattice of all Spies, was needleſs to be menti. oned ; but to the 1aelites, without their knowledge or defire. And this ſeems added by way of oppoſition unro the like Aion, Deut. 1, where it was done with the peoples privity, and upon their motion: And therefore 2n account was given, not only to Moſes, but alſo to the Congregation ; Whereas here it was given to Joſhua only, v. 23. which was a good Caution to prevent the inconveni- ency which poſſibly might have ariſen, if their report had been doubrful or diſcouraging. f (i. e.) The land about Jericho, toge- ther with the City. Heb. The Land and Fericho, (i.e. eſpecially Jericho. So and 1s uſed, 2 Sm. 2. 3o. 1 Kings 11. 1. Pſal. 18.1. * They obeyed Joſhua's command, even with the hazard of their own lives, conſi- dering that they were under the prote&ion of divine Providence, which could very eaſily many ways ſecure them; or being willing to ſacrifice their lives in their Countrey's ſervice. g So the Hebrew word 1s uſed, Judges 11. 1. and 16. 1, 1 Kings 3. 16. Exek. 23. 44. and ſo it is rendred by two Apoſtles, Heb. 11. 31. James 2. 25. ſuch ſhe either now was, or formerly had been; and ſuch a perſons houſe they might come to with leſs obſervation than to an Hoſteſs,as ſome render it, or to a publick Victualing-houſe. And ſuch a courſe of life was very common among the Gentiles, who eſteemed Fornica- tion to be either no fin, or a very ſmall and trivial one. h Or, lay down; as the ſame word is rendred, v. 8. intended and compoſed themſelves to reſt ; but they were diſturbed and hindred from their Intentions upon the following diſcovery.
2 And it was told the king of Jericho, ſaying, Be- hold; there came in men hither to night z, of the chil- dren of Irael, to ſearch out the country,
; This evening, by comparing this with verſe 5.
3 And the King of jericho ſent unto Rahab, ſaying, Bring forth che men that are come to thee, which are entred into thine houſe: for they be come to ſearch out all the country. |
4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them k, and ſaid thus, There came men unto me, but I wiſt
not whence they were /:
k Or, But the Woman had taken , and had hid them to wit, be- fore the Meſſengers came from the King ; as ſoon as ſhe underſtood from her Nezghbours or common Rumor, that there was a ſuſpici- on of the matter, and gueſſed thar ſearch would be made. And this is juſtly mentioned as a great and generous aCt of Faith, Hc6. 11. 31. for the 41d apparently venture her life upon a ſtedfaſt per- ſ-afon oi the Truth of God's Word and Promiſe given to the 1/-a- elites. I Her anſwer contained in theſe and the following words, was palpably falſe, and therefore unqueſtionab'y ſinful ; howſoe- ever, her intention was gocd therein : See Rom. 3.8. But it is very probable, ſhe being an Heathen, might think, What, ſome Chriſti- ans have thought and faid,: That an officious lie is not unlawful. Or at worſt, this was her Infirmity, which was graciouſly pardon- ed by God, and her Faith was amply rewarded.
5 And it came to paſs about the time of ſhutting of the gate #2, when it was dark, that the men went our : whither the men went, I wot not: purſue after them quickly, for ye ſhall overtake them.
m Either of her houſe, or rather of the City which was ſkut at a certain Time.
6 Bur * ſhe had brought them up to the roof » of the houſe, and hid them with the ſtalks of flax, which ſhe had laid in order upon the roof o. | |
n Which was plain after the manner: See Deur. 22.8. Matth. 10. 27. Afts :0. 9. Mark 2.4. o That they may be dried by the heat of the Sun.
7 And the men purſued after them the way to Jordan
unto the foords p: and aſſoen as they which purſued af--
ter them were gone out, they ſhut the gate 9.