The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 333

aelvos by conquest in the south of Cana.an, Indeed the Targum of Palcsti.no makes men, and even that they had occupied the terri• tion of Italy here, and the Vu.lga.te actuall7. tory and taken the name of the original tra.nslatos "venieut in trieribus de Italil.' Kenit,is of Gen. xv. 19. This, however, is a There is, however, no reason to supposo the.t mere conjecture, and a very improbable one. Ba.le.am kne,v or spoke of anything further That a weak tribe like that of Hobab shocld than Cyprus. It was "from the side of" have done what Israel had not dared to do, (l~Q) Cyprus that the ships of his vision and settled themselves by force of arms in ea.me down upon tho Phrenician coasts, Southern Palestine, a.nd, further, tha.t they wherever their original starting•point may should be already known by the na.me of have been. Shall afflict, or, "sh,ll bring those whom they ha.d destroyed, is extremely low." The same word is used of the oppres- unlikely, and is inconsistent with tho state- sion of Israel in Egypt (Gen. xv. 13). Eber. ment in Judges i. 16. And thou puttest The Septuagint has here 'Eppaiov~, and is thy nest in a rock. Rather, " a.nd thy nest followed by the Peschito and the Vulgate. la.id (C•~J upon a rock." We do not know It is not likely, however, tha.t Ba.laa.m would where the Kenites dwelt, and therefore we have substituted " Eber" for the "Jo.cob-'' cannot tell whether this expression is to be and '• Israel" which he had previously used. understood literally or figuratively. If the The Targum of Onkelos para.phrases" Eber" Cana.a.nitish tribe is here spoken of, it is very by "beyond the Euphl'ates," and that of likely they had their residence in some strong Palestine ha.s "a.ll the sons of Eber." From mountain fastness, but if the Mi.dia.nitish Gen. x. 21 it would appear that "the children tribe, theu there is no reasoll to suppose that of Eber" were the same a.s the Shemites; they had crossed the Jordan at all In that A.sshur, therefore, was himself included in case the " nest " mnst be wholly figurative, Eber, bat is separately mentioned on account and must refer to that strong confidence of his fame and power. And he also shall which they placed in the protection of the perish for ever. The subject of this pro• God of Israel phecy is left in obscurity. It is difficult on Ver. 22.-:Nevertheless the .B:enite shall gra.mmatica.1 grounds to refer it to .Asshur, be WB11ted. !~'? iv.;~ n~;;tJ·c~ '.'.;). Rather, and it does not seem appropriate to "Eber.'.' It may mea.n that the unnamed conquering "Kain shall sarely not be wasted." Ct; 1::[l race which 11hou.ld overthrow the .Asian is of donbtful meaning, but it seems here to monarchies should itself come to an end for have the force of a negative question equiva.. evermore ; or it may be that Bala.am added lent to a negation. Ka.in is mentioned in these words while he beheld with dismaJ Josh. rv. 67 as one of the towns o:f Juda.h, the coming destruction of his own Shemitio bnt there is little reason to sappose that a.n race, and their final sabjuga.tion by more in.signinca.nt village is here mentioned by warlike powers. It must be remembered that name. Probably " Kain " stands for the the Greek empire, although overthrown, did tribe-father, and is simply the poetical not by a.ny means "perish :for ever" in tho equivalentofKenite. l111til M7t'"1ll, There same sense a.a the previollll empires of the is some uncertainty about these two particles, East. which are sometimes rendered "how long 1" Ver. 25. -And returned to his place. In the sense of " until " they are said to be an .A.ramaism, but this is doabtful \ j:,,;>~ ::l~!• It is doubtful whether this ex• Ver. 23.-When God doeth this. Liter- pression, which is used in Gen. xvili. 33 and ally, " from the settling of it by God." m other places, implies that Bala.am re• tnmed to his home on the Euphrates. If he ~~ iol:vt;l, ,;,. e. when God shall bring these did he must have retraced his steps almost im- terrible things to pa.as. Septuagint, orav Ft"i mediately, becaUBe he was sla.in among the -raiira ;, ltEo,. 'fhi.s excl.a.ma.tion refers to Mi.disnites shortly after (eh. xw. 8). The the woe which he is e.boat to pronoJlllce, pb.re.se, however, may merely mean that he which involved his own people also. set off homewards, ond is not inconsistent Ver. 24.-Chittim.. ~rus (see on Gen. x. with the supposition that he went no further 4). The "i.eleao:fOhittim 'are mentioned by on his wa.y than the head-qua.rters of the Jeremia.h (ii 10) and by Ezekiel (x:m.i. 6) in Midisnitee. It is not difficult to understand the sense apparently of the westem isla.nds the infatuation which would keep him withiu. genemlly, while in Da.n.. xi 30 "the ships of reaeh of a people so etrange and terrible. Chittim" may have an even wider reference. OB, xxu. 41-xuv.J THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 319