ed, wv. 17. becauſe it thay ſeem, the Cities only; or princ; were peſtered with that Piſcaſ: 3 and the Mice _ | na ame according to the Number of all the Cities, as is here expreſſed ; the Word C:ty being taken generally ſo, as to include, not enly Fenced Cities, but alſo the Countrey Villages, as is here added, and the Fields belonging to them, theſe being the parts where the Mice did moſt Miſchief. f Which is mentioned as the utmoſt border of the Philiſiines Territory to which the Plague of Mice did extend. The word ſtone being eaſily underſtood out of v, 14. where this great ons is expreſly mentioned, as the glace on which the Ark was ſet, which 1s alſo here repeated in the following words. Andthis place is here called 4bel, by anticipation from the great Mourning mentioned in the following Verſe.
i9 4 And he ſmote the men of Bethſhemeſh,becauſe they had looked into the ark of the LORD g, even he {mote of the people h fifty thouſand and threeſcore ang ten men z: and the people lamented, becauſe the LORD had ſmitten 99any of the people with a great ſlaughter.
g Having now an opportunity which they never yet had, nor were ever like to have, it is not ſtrange they had a vehement curi- olity and deſire to ſee the contents of the Ark : or whether the Philiflines had taken them away, and put other things in their place; and they thought they might now preſume the more, becauſe the Ark had bcen polluted by the Phrliſtines, and was now expoled to open view, and net yet put into that moſt holy Placey which they were forbidden to approach. þ i. e. Of the People living in, and near Bethſhemeſh, or coming thither from all parts upon this great glorious eccaſion. Heb. Andy or alſo he (mote of the people ; to wir, of or belonging to other places, though now here : So theſe are diſtinguiſhed from the men of Bethſhemeſh, of whom he ſpeaks only in general and indefinitely, he ſmote the men ; i. e. Some, or many of them, and then ſets down the Number of the Perſons ſmitteng or ſlain, either excluding the Be:hjh:wites, or including them. / This may ſeem an incredible Relation, both becauſe that place could not afford fo great a Number, and becauſe it ſeems an a& of great rigour, that GOD ſhouid ſo ſeverely puniſh thoſe people who came with ſo much Zeal and Joy to Congratulare the return of the Ark, and that for ſo inconliderable an Errour, For the latter branch of the ObjeCtion, it may be ſaid, n. That GOD always uſed to be moſt ſevere jn puniſhing his own People, as Sinning a» gainft more knowledge and warning than others ; eſpecially, for ſuch ſins as immediately concern his ewn Worſhip and Service. 2+ That men are very incompetent Judges of theſe Matters, be. cauſe they do not underſtand all the Reaſons and Cauſes of GOD'S Judgements. For although GOD tock this juſt occaſion ro puniſh them for that Crime, which was ſo ſeverely forbidden even to the common Levites under pain of Death ; of which ſee Numb: 4. 18, 19, 20, Yetitis apparent, tht the People were at this cime guilty of many other, and greater Miſcarriages, for which GOD might juſtly infli& the preſent puniſhment upon them : and more. over there are many ſecret Sins which eſcape Man's Obſervation, but are ſezn by GOD, before whom, many Perſons may be deeply guilty, whom men eſteem innocent and vertuous, And therefore men ſhould take heed of Cenſuring the Judgements of GOD, of which it is moſt truely ſaid, that they are oft ſecret, but never un. righteous. And for the former branch of the ObjeQion, many things arey or may be ſaid ; 1- Thatthe Land of Iſ-ael was ſtrange. Iy populous, See 2 Sams 24: ge and 2 Chron: 13: 3. 2« That all theſe were not the ſetled Inhabitants cf this place, but moſt of them ſuch as did, and in all probability would reſort thither in great Numbers upon ſo illuſtricus an occafion. 43. That all theſe werenor ſtruck dead, in the very Fa&, and upon the place, which would have terrified others from following their Example 3 bur were ſe. cretly ſtruck with ſome Diſeaſe or Plague, which killed them in a little time. 4. That divers Learned Men Tranſlate,and underſtand the place otherwiſe, and make the Number much ſmaller. Joſephus the Jew, and the Hebrew Doftors, and many others contend, that only ſeventy Perſons were ſlain. Which though it ſeem but a ſmall Number, yet might juſtly be called # great ſlaughter, either for the quality of che Perſons ſlain, or for thegr:atneſs and extraordinarineſs of the Stroke; or becauſe it was a great Number, conſidering the ſmallneſs cf the Place, and the ſadneſs of the Occaſion. The words in the Hebrew are theſe, and thus placed, he ſmre of or ameng the people ſeventy men, fifty thouſand men 3 whereas. ſay they, The Words ſhould have been otherwiſe placed, and the freater Number put before the leſs, if this had been meant, that he ſmote 50 Thou- ſand and 70 Men. And one very Learned Man renders the Words thus, He ſmote of the People ſeventy men, even fifty of a thouſand, the Particle, Mem, of, being here underſtood, as it is very frequently, So the meaning is, That GOD ſmore every twentieth Man of the Tranſgreſſors, as the Romans uſed to cut off every tenth Man in caſe of the general guilt of an Army. Or the Words may be rendred thus, He ſmote of, or among the people, ſeventy men out of fifty thouſand men ; the Particle Mem, of, or out of, being underſtood before the Word fifty, which Bockare puts before a theuſand ; and it may be thus expreſſed, to ſhew, that GOD did temper his Severity with great Clemency ; And whereas there were many thouſands of Tranſgreſfors ( every one following his Brother's Example, as is uſual in ſuch caſes ) GOD only ſingled out 70 of the principal Of- fenders, who either ſinned moſt againſt their Light or Office ; or were the Ringleaders, or chief Encouragers of the reſt. To which may be added, that the ancient Tranſlators, the Syriack, and Arabick, Read the Place five thouſand and ſeventy men. being ſuppcſed to have Read in their Hebrew Copies, Chameſb, five, for Chomiſbim, fijty, which 1s no great Alteration in the Word.
20 And the men of Bethſhemeſh ſaid, Who is able
Chap. vi, F
Orgs ſet down the ark of the LORD, which one remaineth to ſtand before 7 this holy LORD God &? and © + Hcb-h