25 And Jolbra ſaved Rahab the harlot alive z, and ' her fathers houſhold, and all that ſhe had: and be dwel= leth in Iſrael, evez unto this day, becauſe ſhe hid the
meſſengers which Joſhua ſent to ſpy out Jericho. z For the general command of rooting out the Cananites, ſeems to have had ſome exception, in caſe any of them had fincerely
ted themſelves to the 1/-aelites, as we ſhall ſee hereafter.
ing, * Curſed be the man before the LORD, thac riſeth up and buildeth e this city Jericho,he ſball lay, the foun- dation thereof in his firſt-born, and-in his youngeſt ſor ſhall he ſec upthe gates of it d.
t t To beemployed whol- ly for the ſervice or uſes of the Tabernacle, nor to be applicd to the
26 C And Joſhua adjured them 2 at that time, ſay-
q By provoking God to puniſh them for your ſin, ia which they may be one way or other involved; or at leaſt upon the occaſion of your ſin ; For to ſpeak properly, God will not (the caſe of Adams fin only excepted) puniſh one man for the ſin of another, as he hath oft declared; but the whole Camp having ſins of their own, God
+ Heb: holineſs.
&
Heb 30.
+ Heb.
under it;
*Chap. 2.
14. Hebr, rx: q8; *
brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and + 1:6: families
and ſeaſonably caſt of their idolatry and wickedneſs, and ſubmirs -
-
IG. 34.
—_
»* .
3 Or, made them"to ſwear ; cauſed the people, or ſome in the name of all, to ſwear for the-preſent and ſucceeding Generations,and to confirm their Oath by a*curſe. 6 (i.e.) * From God's preſence, and by his ſentence,as they are ſaid to caf# lots before the Lord, Joſh. 18. 8, 10, 7. e. expefting the Deciſion from God. He intimates, thar he doth not utter this in a Pafſſion,-or upon a particular ' diſlike of that place, but by divine Inſpiration, as appears from 1 Kings 16. 34. God would have the ruines of this ciry remain as a ſtanding monu= ment of God's Juſtice againſtthis wicked and idolatrous people, and of his Almighry Power in deſtroying ſo great and-ſtrong a City by ſuch contemptuble means. c (i.e.) That ſhall attempt or endavouy to build it. So this Curſe is reſtrained to the Builder, but no way belongs to thoſe who ſhould inhabit it after it was built, as is evi- dent from 2 Kings 4. 18. Luke 19. i, 5.” 4(i. e.) He ſhall loſe all his
' Children in the work, the firſt ar the beginning, others in the pro4
greſs of it by degrees, ind the youngeſt in the cloſe of ir, whery
the Gates uſe to be ſet up, This was fulfilled, r Kings 16. 34.
27 So the LORD was with Joſhua; and his fame was noiſed throughout all the countrey. |
CHAP. VII
Achan takes of the accurſed and devouted things-:- God is angry with Iſrael; 1: Joſhua ſends 3000 men againſt Ai: They flee, and 36 are ſlain, 2 5. Joſhua complains ro God: Who diſcovers the cauſe, ani enjoins a Lot, 6mm 15. Achan is found guilty: Joſhua's Advice
and his Confeſſion, 16= -21. He and his are ſfloned and burnt; The
UT the children of Ifracl!
z committed a treſpaſs ia * Chap:
ih
-
1 King:
1 : #1
k1 177 gl |!
411414 Wt
Chap. Viz
. Ii. if if
”- — SD ESC ace rereoene—oc— D= mo
3 lace named the valley of Achor, ,22==—26. "Dent 7. . 18 And ye, *'in any wife keep your ſelves from the ac- B I curſed thing, leſt ye make your ſelves accuried; when ye
22. 20, 1 Chrog.
3 2; P-
| | the accurſed thing 5: -_ * Achan the fon of Car- SL 3 m1
3
0 | 1p. VII. |
206 FR mi, the ſon of Zabdi c, the ſon of Zerah 4 of the tribe
WITTE! of Judah, took of the accurſed thing: and the anger of BU 2tt: the LORD was kindled againſt the children of Iſrael e.
a (i e.) One of them, by a very uſual Synecdoche or Enallage, as Gen..$. 4. and 19. 29- and Marth. 26. 8. where that 1s aſcribed to the Diſciples, which belonged to Judas only, John 1244. 6 (1. e. In taking ſome of the forebidden and accurſed goods. c Called, alſo Zimri, x Chron. 2. 6. d Or, Zarah, who was Judah's immedi- ate Son, Gen. 38. 30. who went with Judah into Zgypt: And ſo for the filling up of the 256 years that are ſuppoſed to come be- tween that and this time, we muſt allow chan to be now an Old man, and his three Anceſtors to have begotten each his ſon ar about Go years of age ; which at that time was not incredible nor unuſu-
' al. e Whydid God puniſh the whole Society for this one man $ fin ? Arſw, All of them were puniſhed for their own fins, whereof each had a ſufficient proportion ; but God took this occaſion to 1n- fli& the puniſhment upon the Society, partly becauſe divers of them might, be guilty of this ſin, either by coveting what did, or by concealing of his fault, which it 1s robable could nor be unknown to others ; or by not ſorrowing for it, and endeavour- ing to purge themſelves from it : Partly ro make fin the more hate- ful ; as bring the cauſe of ſuch dreadful and publick judgements : And partly to oblige all the members of every Sociery to be both more circumſpe& in the ordering of their own aftions, and more diligent to watch over one another, and to prevent the miſcarriages of their Brethren, which is a great Benefit and Bleſſing to them, and to the whole Society, and worthy to be purchaſed by a ſharp
n TT 4
he a&rally |
7 OSHVU A
affliction upon-the Society. : 2 And Joſhua ſent men from Jericho to Ai f, which
ſpake unro them, ſaying, Go up and view the countrey,
and the men went up and viewed Ai, f Called Hai, Gen. 12. 8. and Aijah, Nehem. 11. 31. They were , Not to go into the City of 41, but inro the Countrey bordering and belonging to it, and there to underſtand the ſtate and quality ofthe place and people. g So the Hebrew im is wſed, Gen. 25. 11. and 3s. 4. Judges 9.6. and 18.3. and 19. 11. h. A City or Town diſtinet from, but nigh unto Berhel, though Berhel was afterwards by alluſt-
Compare Gen. 12. 8, Joſ. 8. 9, 12.
+ Heb: about two thouſand men, 0r about. three thouſand men.
thouſand men go up &, and-ſmite Ai, and make nor all
the people to labour thither, for they are but few.
k Which was done by the wiſe Contrivance of Divine Providence, that their fin might be puniſhed, and they awakened and re- formed with as little hazard, and miſchief, and reproach, as might be: For if the defeat of theſe cauſed fo great a conſternation in Joſhua, it is eaſic to gueſs what dread, and confuſion, and de'pair, it would have cauſed in the people, if a great Hoſt had been de- defeated.
4 S0 there went up thither of the people about three