z 7, e, Let them be publick Servants,and employed in the meaneſt Offices and Drudgeries ( ſuch 25 this was, this one kind being pur for all the reſt, as it is Dent. 29. 11.) for the uſe and bench of the Congregation ; to do this partly for the Sacrifices and Services of the houſe of God, as it is expreſſed wv. 23. which otherwiſe the J7aclites themſelves muſt have done ; partly for the Service of the Camp or body of thepeople; and ſometimes upon occaſion,even to particular Iſraelites: whence they are made Bond-men, which is mentioned as 5 thing diſtin& from their ſervice in the Houſe of God,v.23. And fo they are 1n effett ſtripped of all their Poſſeſſions, whereby the min ground of the Peoples Quarrel was taken away. a Or, becau{c or Jeeing that ( as the Hebrew word ſometimes ſignihes ) :he Princes (7. e. we our ſelves, they ſpeak of themſelves inthe third perſon, which is very frequent in the Hebrew Language ) had promiſed it to them, to wit,that they ſhouid live ; and confirmed their promiſe by an Oath.
So the Princes ſpeaking here to the People, alledge the Promiſe or
Oath of the Princes, when they met among themſelves, and apart from the People. And this change of perſons may poſſibly ariſe from hence, becauſe ſome of the Princes who were preſent in the Aſſembly of the Princes, might now be abſent upon ſome occaſion. And this clauſe relates not to the next words, which are fitly enclo- * ſed within a Parentheſis, but to the foregoing clauſe, let them live, becauſe the Princes have promiſed them their Lives.
22 And Joſhua called for them, and he ſpake unto them, ſaying, Wherefore haveye beguiled us, ſaying, We are very far from you: when ye dwell among us »
23 Now therefore ye are curſed b, and there ſhal + + Heb.n; none of you be freed from being bondmen c, and hew- «tf
_ of wood, and drawers of water forthe houſe of my #3": od d.
6 You ſhall not eſcape the Curſe of God which by Divine Sen- tence belongsto all the Canaanites, whoare a People devored by God to ruine; but only change the quality of it, you ſhall feel thar Curſe of Bondage and Servitude, which is proper to your race by vertue of that ancient decree, Gen.9. 25. you ſhall live indeed, bur iN a poor, vile and miſerable condition. c The Slavery which is upon you ſhall be enrailed. to your poſterity. d This only Service they mention here, becauſe it was their principal and moſt durable ſervitude, being firſt in the Tabernacle, and then in the Temple, whence they were called Nethinims, 1 Chron. 9. 2, Ezra 2. 43. whereas ther ſervitude to the whole congregation would in a greit meaſure ceaſe when the J/-aelites were diſperſed to their ſeveral ha- bitations, :
24 And they anſwered Joſhua, and ſaid, Becauſe it was certainly told thy ſervants, how that the LORD thy God * commanded his ſervant Moſes,to give you all the * Deut. 7. land, and todeſtroy all the inhabitants ofthe land from > *: before you,: therefore we were ſore afraid of our lives, becauſe of you, and have done this thing.
25 And now behold, weare in thine hand e : as it
ſeemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do ff.
e i.e. In thy power to uſe us as thou wilt. f We refer our ſelves ro thee and thy own Piety, and Probity, and Faithfulneſs to thy Word and Oath ; If thou wilt deſtroy thy humble Suppliants, we ſubmit.
26 And {odid he untothem,and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Ifrael,that they ſlew them nor.
Z SO as was ſaid, wv. 23. and ſo as here follows.
27 AndJoſbua made them that day hewers of wood, and drawers af water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD bh, even untocthis day, in the place which he ſhould chuſe. |
hþ By which it appears, .that they were not only to do this Ser- vice in Gods Houle, but upon 3ll other occaſions, as the Congre- gation needed or required their help.
HAT 2.
Five of the Kirgs of Canaan afraid of Joſhua, are angry with the Gibeo- nites and wage war againft them, they ſend to Joſhua for Succours, 1--6. He Reſcues them, 7---19. Gad caſts down Hail-ſtonesupon the Enemy, 1 1., Joſhua Prays to God and commane's the Sun to ſland ſti!l, which it dues for the ſpace of a day, 13-=-15. The five Kings hide themſelves in Cavss where Joſhua caruſeth them to be ſhut up, afterward: to be brought forth, ſcornfully uſed and hanged,and thrown into a Cave by Makkeda, 16--27.
Fhis place taken, the King, City, and all therein are burnt ; Joſhua
doth the ſame to Libnah and Lachiſh, 28---32. To Gezer, Eglon,
Hebron, Debir, and all the Land, 33---42.- Joſhua returns to Gil-
gal, 43. ; | , N OW it came to paſs, when Adoni-zedek king of Je- ruſalem had heard how Joſhua hadtaken Ai,and , A had utterly deſtroyed ir ( * as he had done to Jericho , ©
and her king, ſo he bad done to * Aj, and her king) and *chap 8.3.
how the inkabicants of Gibeen had made peace with
Iſrael, and were among them «.
a i. e. Were converfant with them, had yielded themſelves to their diſpoſal, ſubmitted themſelves to their Laws, had mingled Intereſts with them.
2 That they 5 feared greatly, becauſe Gibeon was a | greatcity,as one ofthe} royal cities c,and becauſe it was + Heb. greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. - > -
bi, e. He and his people, the King being ſpoken of v. 1. is a King publick perſon repreſenting all his people. Or, He and the follows ing Kings, v. 3. Butthis fearis mentioned, v. 2. as the cauſe why he ſent to thoſe Kings. c Either 1. really a Royal City, the Hebrew particle Caph oft ſignifying the truth of a thing, as Ho. 4. 4. and
5. 19, and off elſewhere, Or, 2, equal to one of the Royal Cities, h though
*Ia. 28 21. { Or,terr
'fed.So G
* Ta. 28, 1, Hab, 3.11
? Heb. b |"
\ of
—z
X. 7 0 8 though it had no king,but ſeems tobe governed Ariſtocratically by
their Elders, Joſ. 9. 11. Ef 2 Wherefore Adoni-zedec king of Jeruſalem ſent 4,
anco Hoham king of Hebron; and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachiſb, and unto Debir king of Eglon, ſaying, Þ oy
4 Either becauſe he was Superior to them in Power or Dignity, or becauſe he was neareſt the danger, and moſt forward in the
work. by Come up unto me, and help me, that we may!
ſnite Gibeon : for it hath made peace with Joſhua,and
with the children of Ifrael. | : 5 ' 5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites ?, the king
of Jeruſalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachiſh, the king of Eglon gathered them- ſelves together and went up,they,and all their hoſts,and