The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 212

He identifiea l{uriet-cl-Eno.b with Kirjath of such perfidy, we may adduce the haU!c of in cb. xviii. 2B, and rego.rds this aa one Varna, in 1444, in which Ladislans, king of of tl.tc cities of Benjamin within tho Hungary, was induced hy the exhortations border. But this Kirjath may be Kirjath- of Carclinal Julian to break the truce he had jearim, and ma,y as reasonably, sta.nding entered into with Amurath, sultan of the on the border, be accounted to belong to Tarks. It is said in this case that Amu- both tribes, as Zomh, Eshtaol (mentioned rath, in his clistress, invoked .J esu.s Christ in the boundaries of Judah and Dan), to punish the perfidy of His disciples. Be ;Beth-arabah, possibly Gibea,h or Gibeath that as it may, a signal defeat fitly rewarded (belonging to Judah and Benjamin), and their disregard of truth. Later instances even Jerusalem itself (see eh. xv. 53). may be drawn from the conflict between '!.'he identification of Kirjath-jearim with Spain and the Netherlands in the latter Kuriet-el-Enab, of the waters of Nephtoah part of the sixteenth century, in which with Ain Lifta, giving a line running north- the Spaniards frequently and wantonly, in westward from the valley of Rephaim, seems the supposed interests of religion, violated more probable as the border of J uda.h and the articles of capitulation formally entered ;Benjamin, and the word "compassed," or into with the insurgents. These breakers rather deflected, ai:lds proba.bili ty to this of their plighted word also found that interpretation (see eh. xv. 9, 10, and notes). " wrath was upon them ; " that God would Ver. 1B.-And the chlldren or Israel not prosper the arms of those who, pro- smote them not. There is great differenoe fessedly for His sake, were false to their of opinion among the commentators as to solemn obligations. Both the princes, in whether this oath were binding on the the narrative before us, in withstanding the Israelites or not. ThiB difference is to be wmth of the congregation, and the congre- found among Roman Catholics as well as gation in yielding to their representations, Protestants, and Cornelius a Lapide gives present a spectacle of moral principle wbich the ingenious and subtle arguments used on few nations have surpassed. Cornelius a both sides by the Jesuit _commentators. Lapide, after giving the opinions of others, Many contend that as it was obtained by as we have seen, and remarking on the fraud, and especially by a representation opinion here followed as " proba.bilior," that the Gibeonites did not belong to the sums up in the following noble and manly t1ibes which Joshua was specially com- words : "Disce hie quam sancte fides, pne- manded to destroy (see Deut. xx. 10-1B, sertim jurata, sit servanda hosti, etiam with which compare the passages cited impio et infideli. Fide enim sublata, ever- in note on ver. 7), it was null and void, titnr omnis hominum contractus et societas, ab initio. But the Israelites had sworn qum fidei quasi basi innititur, ut homines by the sacred name of Jehovah to spare jam non homines, sed leones, tygrides, et the Gibeonites. It would have been to ferm esse videantur." Would that bis degrade that sacred name, and possibly Church had always acted upon these inas- (ver. 20) to bring trouble on themselves, sailable principles of· justice and morality I to break tha.t oath under any pretence In after years r1 terrible famine nsi ted the whatever. If they had been deceived the Israelites as 11, cbastisement for the infringe- foult was their own. The Jehovah by ment of this agreement (see 2 Som. x:ri. 1-9). wbom they swore had provided them with Murmured. Literally, ,cere stnbbom. a re:idy mode_ of detecting such deceit, Ver. 20.-Lest wrath be upon us. Tbe had they cbosen to use it. Calvin, though original is not quite so strong: "and wrath he thinks the princes of the congregation will not be upon us (<a< ou< fom, <all •ip.wv were unnecessarily scrupulous, remarks on opyi,, LXX.). the superiority of Israelitish to Roman Ver. 21.-Baid unto them, i.e., to the morals. It would have been easy enough Israelites. But let them be. Rather, and for the congregation to argue, as the Romans they were, v.ith Rosenmtiller and Keil. See did after the disaster at the Caudine Forks, Keil in loc. for the force of the Van conver- that the agreement was of no effect; be- sive. The LXX. an,l Vulgate render as our cause it was not made with the whole people. version. Hewers or wood and drawers of Cicero, however, had no sympatby with such water. Some amount of casuistry has been morality. He writes (' De Officiis,' i. 13), displayed upon this passage. But the fair- "Atque etiam si quid singuli temporibus ness of the proceeding seems clear enough. adducti, hosti promiaerunt, est in eo ipso The Gibeonites had escaped death by a fidcs conservanda." And not a few in- fraud. For that fraud they deserved punish- stances of similar perfidy since the promul- ment. Their lives were spared by virtue of gation of Cbristianity may lead us to the a solemn oath. But equality of rights had conclusion that tbe example of Israel under never been promised them. They might .Joshua is not yet superfluous. As instances think themselves well off if they escaped ll52 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ciI. lx. 1-21,