The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 345

he woul<l go up with them ; 2. That he bor,fors, nnd not allow their l11n1I tn he in- wonlcl pardon them ; and 8. That, he would vad_ed at the fe,itivnl seusons (ver. 2·l): ,,a once more take them 118 his inherit.ance (ver. their part, they mu.st "oh.serve th11t whirb I command them•· (vor. 11 ). Marvels nob as 9). Without replying separately to these have not beetl done in all the earth. As the requeets, God formally renews the covenant; drying up of the.Jordan ( .Josh. iii. 16, 17 J : the promises not only to go up with the people, falhng down of the w11lls of ,Jericho ( ;1,. vi. hut to work miraclee for them (ver. 10), and 20), the slaughter of the army of the ~ve to drive ont the nations before them when kings by hailstones ( ih. x. II), and the like. It is a terrible thing that I will do with they have arrived (ver. 11); and makes e. thee. Terrible, not to Isrnel, but to Israel's brief summary of the chief points of positive enemies. Compare Dent. x. 21 ; Ps. cvi. 22; observance, which he requires of them in addi- cxlv. 6, etc. tion to the moral law. These points me.y be Ver. 11.-0bserve thou that whioh I oom- reduced to twelve :-1. That no treaty of mand thee this de.y. The precept.• P,Xpressly peace should be made with the Cane.e.nite given ( vers. 12-26) are, as observed above, almost wholly positive. The moral law did nations (ver. 12). 2. That all their images, not require recapitulation, because it was en- altars, and groves should be destroyed (ver. joined on the people afresh by the writing on 13j. 3. That no molten image should be the two tables ( ver. 28). I drive out before made to represent God (ver. 17). 4. That thee, Compare iii. 8, 17; vi. 4, 8; xiii. 5, the Pa.ssover festive.I should be observed e.s 11 ; xxxiii. 2. Ver. 12.-Take heed to thyself lest thou previously commanded (ver. 18). 5. That make a covenant. See above, eh. xxiii. 32 the first-born should be dedicated, or re- A mare. See eh. xxiii. 33. deemed (vers. 19, 20). 6. That the Sabbath Ver. 13.-Ye shall destroy their altars, rest should be observed at all times of the etc. This command is more swe.,ping than year (ver. 21). 7. That the feast of Pente- the corresronding one in the " Book of the Covenant' (eh. xxiii. 24), which expressly cost (weeks) should be observed regularly mentions oniy the " images." Here the de- (ver. 22). 8. That the feast of tabernacles struction of idol-altarn e.nd idol-groves is should also be observed (io.). 9. Thate.tall further commanded. On idol-altars, see Num. the three great festivals all the males should xx111. -, 29; Jndg. ii. 2; 1 Kings xvi. 32; appear before God (ver. 23). 10. That no xviii. 26, etc. Groves a.re here for the first time mentioned. They e.ppee.r to have been arti- leaven should be used with any sacrifice ( ver. ficial constructions, either of wood or metal, 25). 11. That first-fruits of all things or both, more or les.s imitative of trees, and should be offered to God (ver. 26). 12. That regarded e.s emblems of the Oriental natu.re- no kid should be seethed in her mother's deities, especially Be.al and Astarte or Ash- milk (ver. 26). toreth. The word translated" grove " ( a,,herah) is e. modification of the name Ashtoreth. The Ver. 9.-If now I have found graoe in well-known "se.cred tree" of the Assyrians is thy Bight. The vision vouchsafed him makes probably an ashbah. Moses £eel that he has indeed been received into Ver. 14.-l!'or thou sh.alt worship no other favour with God. The first use which it oc- God. This is a reference to the Second Com- curs to him to make of his position is to inter- mandment (eh. xx. 5). The meaning is- cede anew for his people. He, apparently, " Thou shalt not spa.re the idolatrous emblems forgets that God has already promised to go of the Canaanite nations, for thou couldst with them ( eh. xxxiii. 17), and prefers exactly only do so to worsh.ip them, and thou art the same request which he had made on the already forbidden to worship any other god preceding day, and which had been granted. beside me." The existence of the Decalogue To this he adds e. prayer for pardon, and e. and its binding nature, is a.ssu.med throughout request that God would take Israel for his this chapter inherite.noe. The last phrase is a new one, Vers. 15, 16.-Theprobe.bleconsequences of ~ut expr_esses perhaps no more than has been making treaties with the 'Canaanite nations, 1mphed m such phrases e.s "thy people, which alluded to in ver. 12, and in eh. xxiii. 33, are thou hast purchased" (eh. xv. 16)-" ye shall here fully set forth. They include-I. Join- be a peculiar treasure unto me" ( eh. xix. 5). ing in their idol-feasts ; 2. Intermarriages; Ver. 10.-I make a oovenant-i.e., "I !11.y 3. The actual apostasy of those who me.rried down a.fresh the terms of the covenant be- idolatrous wives. The event fully just1ti.ed tween me and Israel." On my part, I will go the warning here given. See J udg. ii. 2. with them (implied, not expressed), e.nd do 11-13, 17; vi. 25; x. 6, etc. They go a. miracles for them, and drive out the nations whoring. This expression, so common in the before them ( vers. 10, 11 ), e.nd enlarge their later books, is here used for the first time It J,;XODUS-II. 2 a 3i0 THE BOOK OF EXODUR. [e1t. UXTV. !l-2A