The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 167

o.mong the nations, and st thwart his own Rather "as trnly as I live, and the glory purposes, without making one effort (however of the Lord sho.11 fill all the earth." Both audacious) to tum his wrath a.side. We can clauses are dependent on C~1:-t~, and the see that it is (as in Exod. llXii. 11, 12, only second is but the necessary correlative of the much more boldly and abrnptly) the thought first. of what the heathen would BIIY which he Ver. 22.-Because all those men. The wishes to thrnst upon the Almighty; but we cannot be sure of the right translation of the particle '~ is not to be rendered " because ; " words. The most literal rendering would it simply introduces the substance of the seem to be, " Both the Egyptinns ha.ve heard oath: "As I live, .. all those men .. shall not (WQ~) that thou bronghtest out this people see." So the Septuagint. And have tempted me now these ten times. It is not in the from among them with thy might, and they least necessary to press this expression, bor- have told it (~iQNl) to the inhabitants of rowed from the vague usage of men, liter- this land; they ha;e heard (~llQ~, repeated) ally. It is the language of indignati?n, that thou, Lord, art amongst this people," meaning that the full measure of provocation &c. The Septuagint, however, translates the had been received (cf. Gen. mi. 7; Job first verb byafuture(.rai a.roua,ra, Aiy,nrro,), xix. 3). The recorded instances of national and, as this gives a much clearer sense, it is " temptations " cannot be made to reach thEt followed by the Ta.rgum Palestine and most number ten. . of the versions. Ver. 23.-Snrel:,theyahallnot aee. ~~"\_~-c~,- Ver. 16. -Because the Lord was not able " if they shall see," according to the •usual: to bring this people into the land. Moral Hebrew idiom. Cf. Ps. cvii. 11 (Septuagint), or religious difficulties could not be compre- Heb. iv. 3, w, Wµo11a . . d ii1nAEV11ovTa,. • hended by those heathen nations as standing Ver. 24.-llly servant Caleb. Caleb alone· in the way of God'sJurposes. Physical is mentioned here, as if he were the only ex- hindrances were the o y ones they could ception to the sentence just passed upon the- understand ; and they would certainly infer generation which came out of Egypt. Taken that if he slew the Israelites in the wilder- in connection with eh. xiii. 30, and in contrast ness, it could only be in order to cover his with eh. xiv. 6, 30, 38, it has been supposed· own defeat and failure beforo the rival deities to point to the interweaving here of two nar- of Palestine. ratives, from the one of which the name of" Ver. 17.-And now, I beseech thee, let J oshna was in ten tiona.lly omitted (see the the power of my Lord be great. Hore the Introduction). The fact, however, is that argument of Moses rises to a higher level ; Joshua: is not the only, nor the most remark- he ventures to put God in mind of what he able, exception to the genera.I sentence which had him.self declared to Moses in the fullest is not specified here. Moses and .Aaron them- revelation which he ho.d ever mo.de of his selves were undoubtedly not included in that own unchangeable character, viz., that of all sentence at this time, although they after- Divine prerogatives, the most Divine was wards came under the severity of it (see on that of forgiving sins and showing mercy. Deut. i. 37). Eleazar, the priest, was one or According as thou hast spoken. See on Exod. those who entered with Joshua (Josh. xiv. 1), xxxi.v. 6, 7. The words a.re not quoted and it is vain to argue that he might have oxo.ctly RS there given, but are substo.ntia.lly been under twenty at the time of the num- tho sa.me. bering (cf. eh. iv. 16). There is, indeed,' Ver. 19.-From Egypt until now. From every reo.iion to believe tho.t the whole tribe the first passion of despair in Egypt itself of Levi wore excepted from the punishment, • (Exod. xiv. 11, 12), through the murmurings because they were not compromised in the in the wilderness of Sin, and the apostasy of guilt. They had n11 represeuto.tive among the Mount Sino.i, to the last rebellion at Kibroth- spies, nor were they co.lied upon to go up Ho.ttaavah. and fight; moreover, they had been steadily Ver. 20.-I have pardoned. Whatever loyal to Moses since the matter of the golden necessary exceptions and qualifications might calf. But if the exception of the Levites remain to be afterwards declared, the great was taken for granted, and passed without fact that he forgave the nation, o.nd that the mention, much more might the exception of nation should not die, is announced without Joshua. He did not stand by any means in· delay and without reservation (cf. 2 Sam. the same position as Caleb and the other xii 13). Aooordi.ng to thy wo1d. Such spies ; he WBB the II minister" and lieutenant power had God been pleased to give unto of Moses, whose fortunes were obviously man, tho.t at the intercession of the mediator bound np, not with those of his tribe, but a whole nation is delivered from imminent with those of his master. If Moses had ac- death and destruction. cepted the Divine offer to make him the hea,1 Ver. 21.-J.a truly as I live, all the earth of a new chosen race, no doubt Joshua wouhl ■hall be filled with the glory of the Lord. have been given to him. His subsequQ 1,t L~ 148 THE BOOK OF NUMDERS. [clIS, XIII,, XIV.