' 9 And Joſhua ſaid unto the children of Iſrael, Come hi- ther s, and hear the words of the LORD your God 7.
To the Ark or Tabernacle, the place of publick Aſſemblies. * Who is now about to give a proof that he is both the Lord,the Om- nipotent Governour of Heaven and Earth, and all Creatures; and your God, in Covenant with you, having a tender care and true af- feQtion for you:
10 And Joſhua ſaid, Hereby ye ſhal know « that the living God x js among you y, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the
Girgaſhice, and the Amorite, and the Jebukie. # To wit, by experience and ſenſible evidence, x Not a dull,
' dead, ſenſeleſs and unaQive God, ſuch as the gods of the Nations
are ; but a God of life, and power, andaQtivity to watch over you, and wcrk for you. y Is preſent with you to ſtrengthen and help you, as the Phraſe ſignifies, Exod: 17: 7: Deut: 31: 17: Joſh: 22: 31-
' 1x Behold, the ark of the covenant, of the LORD of all the earth, pafſeth over before you into Jordan z.
z Tato part of the River.
12 Now therefore take ye twelve men - out of the
T ribes of Iſrael; out of every Tribe a man.
a For the work deſcribed, Joſb: 4: 2, 3. 13 And it ſhal come to paſs at{oon as the ſoles of the feet of the prieſts that bear the ark of the LORD 5,the Lord of all the earth c, ihal reſt in the waters of Jor- dan, hat the waters of Jordan ſhal he cut off fre the
l.114- waters that come down from above 4: and they * ſhal
ſtand upon an heap e. © | 7 b That ſoit may appear that thisis the Lords doing, and that in purſuance, and for the accompliſhment of his Covenant made with Iſrael. c The Lord of all thisterreſtrial Globe made of Earth and Water, who therefore can diſpoſe of this River and the adjoyning Land as he pleaſeth. 4 The Waters which now are united ſhall be divided, and part ſhall low down the Channel towards the Dead- Sea,and the other part that is nearer the Spring or Riſe of the River, and flows down from it, ſhall ftand ſtill. e Being as it were con- gealed, as the Red-Sea was, Exod: 15: 8: and ſo keptfrom overflow- ing all the Country. 14 And it came to paſs when the people removed
from their tents, to paſs over Jordan, and the prieſts
IA&.7.45. bearing the * ark of the covenant before the people ;
15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priefts that bare the ark were
' FxChron. dipped in the brim of the water, (for * Jordan over-
floweth all his banks all the time of harveſt ) f.
{EF- 32-5- . f Which is alſonoted, 1 Chron: 12: x 5: Eccluſ: 24:36:and by Ariſtzas FF 49- 19: jo the Hiſtory of the LXX Interpreters. This is meant not of the
Wheat-harveſt, but of the Barley-harveſt, (which was before it, Ruth I: 22: 2 Sam: 21: 9:) as is manifeſt from their keeping of the Paſſover 4t their firſtentrance, Joſ: 5: 10: which Feaſt was kept on the four- reenth day of their firſt Month, when they were to bring a Sheaf of their fiſt-fruits, Lev: 23: 10; Deut:16:9, 10: which were of Barley,as Joſephus affirms, and is evident from the thing it ſelf. So that this
Harveſt in- thoſe hot Countries fell very early in the Spring, when
Rivers uſe to ſwell moſt; partly becauſe of the rains which have fal- len all the Winter,and partly becauſe of the Snows which then melt into Water and come into the Rivers; for which Reaſons the ſame overflowing of Water which is here aſcribed to Jordan, is by other
Authors aſcribed to Euphrates, and Fygris, and the Rhine, and Maine, +
&c. And this time God choſe for this Work, partly that the Mi-
. rYacle might be more glorious in it ſelf, more obliging to the 7ſrae-
7 more amazing and terrible to the Canaanites ; and partly
that the Iſ-aelites might be entertained at their firſt entrance with more plentiful and comfortable Proviſions.
16 That the waters which came down from above, ſtood and roſe up upon an heap g very far from the ci- ty Adam that is beſide Zaretan þ ; and thoſe that came down toward the ſea of the plain,ever the falt ſea ſailed, and were cut off : and the people paſlled over right againſt Jericho 5z.
£ Which having been affirmed by Heathen Writers to have been done by Magicians, it is great impudence to disbelieve or doubr of Gods power to do it. þ The City Adam being more obſcure, is de- ſcribed by its nearneſs to a more known place, Zaretan, or Sarthan, which ſome think is the ſame place mentioned, 1 Xing: 4: 12:and 7: 46: but it rather ſeems to have been another place then eminenr, but now unknown, as many thouſands are. The meaning is, That the Waters were ſtopped in their courſe at that place, «+. at a duediſtance from the Jſraelites whilſt they paſſed over. God carried them over, becauſe this part was, z. The ſtrongeſt,as | having in its Neighbourhood an eminent City, a potent King, and
efreſhment of the 1(. |
|
a ſtout, and Warlike people. 2. The moſt pleaſant and fruitful, | and therefore more convenient both for the R
raelites after their long and tedious Marches, and for their Encoy-
J0$SH DU 4.
17 And the prieſts that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, ſtood firm & on dry ground in the midft of Jordan 1, and all the Iſraelites paſſed over on dry ground,
untilall the people were paſſed clean over Jordan.