EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XI. gone like a bad dream, leaves behind it above all things o.n incurable sUBpicion of, and a THE PLACE OF llUll:laNG (vers. 1-3). rooted disbelief in, others, which shows itself Ver. 1.-A:nd when the people complained, outwardly by blank mgratitude and persistent it displeased the Lord. There is no "when" complaint of bad treatment. This is the well- in the original. It is literally, "And the known mental attitude of liberated slaves people were M complainers evil in ·the eara even towards their benefactors and liberators , of the Lord." This may be paraphrased as and in the case of Israel this temper extended in the A. V. ; or it may be rendered as in to the King of Israel himself, whom they held the Septuagint, ,jv ;, >.ao, yoyyu{o,v 1rovqpa responsible for a.11 the privations and terrors fravr, r:vpiov (cf. 1 Cor. x. 10), where 1rovqpa of an apparently needless journey through a means the wieked things they utterod in hideous waste. The Targum of Palestine their discontent ; or the "evil" may mean says here, " There were wicked men of the the hardships they complained of. The people who, being discontent, devised and l'argums understand it in the same way as imagined evil before the Lord." The corn• the Septuagint, and this seems to agree best plaining, however, seems to have been general with the context. As to the time and place throughout the host, as the PSQ.lmist more of this complaining, the narrative seems to truly acknowledges (Ps. lxxviii. 17-22). limit it within the three days' march from And the fl.re of the Lord bumt among the wilderness of Sinai ; but it is not possible them. The "fire of the Lord " may mean to fu: it.more prec1sely, It is sufficient tba.t one of three things. 1. Lightning, oa a.p• the very first incident in the great journey parently in Job i. 16; for lightning to the thought worthy of record was this a~ and unscientific is the fiery bolt, even ns thunder its punishment, and the natural conclusion is the angry voice, of God (cf. 1 So.m. xii. 18, is that it came to pass very shortly after the 19). 2. A miraculous outburst of Jlame from departu:N!. As to the reason of the com- the Presence in the tabernacle, such as slew plaining, although it is not stated, and Na.dab and Abihu (Levit. x. 2), and after• although there doca not seem to have been wards the 260 men who offered incense (eh. any special cause of distress, we can hardly xvi. 35). 3. A miraculous descent of fire be mistaken about it. The fatigue and from heaven, !Ill apparently in 2 Kings i. 10- anxiety of the march, after a year's com- 12 (cf. Rev. xiii. 13), Of these the second parative idleness, the frightful nature of seems to be excluded by the fa.et tho.t the the country into which they were marching, conflagration was in the outskirts of the and the unknown terrors of the way which camp furthest removed from the tabernacle. lay before them, these were quite enou[;:h to If we suppose the tire to have been natural, shake their nerves and upset their mrnds. we may further suppose that it set a.light to Such things could only be borne and faeed the dry bushes and shrubs which a.bound in in a spirit of faith o.nd trustful dependence parts of the desert, and ·which blaze with upon God and their appointed leaders, and great fury when the fie.me is driven by the that spirit they knew nothing of. Slaven-, wind. It it,, however, at least as likely that even when its outwa.rd pressure is past and a wholly supernatural visitation of God i8 CH. 'XI. 1-3.) THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. 103
horo intended. What is most important to Ver. 2.-J.nd the people cried unto Koses. notice is this, that the punishment in this Fear brought them to their se~ses, a~cl the! case followed ho.rd and sore upon the sin, knew that their only hope was rn their mech- whereas before they came to Sinai the Lord ator, who had already saved them by his bad passed over similar murmurings without intercession from a worse destruction (Exod. ony chastisement {Exod. xv. 24; xvi. 2). xxxii. 30-34). The 11.:re was quenched. The reason of this difference was twofold. Rather, "went out." As its_ beginning was In the first place, they had now had abundant superna.tu:ra.l, or at least was so ordered as to opportunity to become acquainted with the appear so, its end also was due to the Divine l'ower and· goodness of the Lord, and had intervention, not to human efforts. solemnly entered into covenant with him, Ver. 3.-And he called the name of the o.nd he had taken up his abode among them ; place Ta.berah. Or Tabeerah (i11».tl:I). This wherefore their responsibilities grew with name does not occur in the list of stations in their privileges, their dangers kept pace with eh. xxxiii., which mentions nothing between their advantages. In the second place, they Sinai and Kibroth-Hattaavah. lt would seem had while a.t Sinai committed an act of probable, however, that the conflagration national apostasy (E:x:od. xxxii.), the pun- occurred while Israel was encamped, or else ishment of which, although suspended (ver. therr could hardly have been o. buming "in 14), was only suspended (ver, 34), and was the end of the camp." We may tberefoye Illways capable of being revived; Israel was suppose either that Tnbeerah was some spot J>lainly warned that he was under sentence, in the immediate neighbourhood of Sinai -and that a.ny disobedience would awake the whither the people gathered for their first terrors of the Lord against him. And con- long march ; or that it was one of the halting- sumed . . . in the uttermost parts of the pla.ces on the "three days' joumey" not camp. Probably setting. fire to th~ outer mentioned in the list, because that journey line of tents, or some pitched outside the was considered as all one ; or that it was the line, and consuming the people that were in same place afterwards called Kibroth-Hatta- them, The Targum of Palestine affirms ava.h. There is nothing in the narrative to that it "destroyed some of th(; wicked in tho decide a question which is in itself unitn• outskirts of the house of Dan, with ,vhom portant. It is necessary to remember thnt wns a graven image ; " but this o.ttempt to where the ancient and local names derived shift tf1e responsibility, and to alter the from marked natural features were not avi.il- character of the sin, is clearly worthless, and able, such names as Tabeerah given to tha only suggested by occurrences wholly uncon- halting-places of so vast a host must ha.ve nected with the present (see Judges xviii.). had a very loose significance.