The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 274

meon, Kirio.tha.im (or Kirjatho.im, o.a it is Bik'e.h when he speaks of the great valley here called), Ataroth, Nebo, Aroer, had of Ccele Syria, Ciccar when he speaks of fallen into the hands of Mesha at the re- the territory ,lae north of Jordan. With the bellion, and that be ho.d erected a citadel at princes of Midlan. The word here used, Dibon, which bo.d become bis capital. ~•i:;1~ signifies exalted persons, persons of Hence the endeavour to invade Moe.b from the south, recorded in 1 Kings iii., which, rank, as we should say. It would seem to however, though successful as a military imply rather civil functions than the more promenade, was attended with no per- absolute authority which the word ii!> also manent results. For Isaiah (eh. xv.) and rendered" prince" in Hebrew, carries'~th it. Jeremiah (eh. xlvili.) mention most of these With this passage compare Num. xxxi. 8. places, as well as Elealeb o.nd Hesbbon, the The Hebrew has no "with," so that the former capital of Sihon, as being strong- difficulty some have found in the passage holds of the Moabite power. Jabaz, too, need not have a.risen. It is nowhere said the place where Sibon gave battle of the that Moses smote the " princes of i\fidian " Israelites, is numbered by Meaba, as well as together with Sihon. All that is stated is 11t a later date by Isaiah and Jeremiah, that they, as well as Sihon, were smitten, among the possessions of Moab; while Horo- as the history in Numbers tells us they were. naim, mentioned among the Moabite cities Dukes of Slhon. According to Geaenios, by the two prophets, is incidentally notice_d Rosenmiiller, and others, the word here by Mesba as having been captured from the translated "dukes" is derived from ";JI;)} Edomites. In this early extinction of the to pour out, means " anointed." See Psa. tribe of Reuberi we may see the fulfilment ii. 6, where it is translated '' set." But of Ja.cob's prophecy (Gen. xlix.). The plal.n Keil rejects this interpretation, and says by Medeba.. See ver. 10 ; so again in the that the word never signifies to anoint. next verse. It is e.lways used, he says, of foreign Ver. 17.-Ba.moth Ba.al. The high places princes. But he he.a overlooked Micah or altars of Baal. The frequent mention v. 4. (Heh.). See Knobel, who explains it of of Baal in this passage shows how common drink offerings, and regards these " dukes " the worship of Baal was in Palestine. The as men pledged by a solemn treaty to be Moe.bites worshipped him under the name of Sibon's allies, though not vassals. Kimcbi Chemosh, to whom Mesba, on the Moabite thinks that Sibon, before bis reverses e.t the stone, attributes all bis victories (cf. Num. hand of Israel, had held some authority in xxi. 29; Judg. xi. 24; 1 Kings xi. 7, 33. Midian, and these were his prefects, or So Beth-Peor below (cf. Num. xxv. 3). under-kings. The term is applied to Zebah Ver. 19.-Sibma.h (see Num. xxxii. 38). and Zalmunna in Psa. lxxx.iii. 12 (in the The vine of Sibmah forms a feature in the Hebrew). lament of Isaiah (xvi. 8) and Jeremiah Ver. 22.-The soothsayer. Or divine,-, (xlviii. 32) over Moab. It was close by one who pretended to foretell future events. :iieabbon, on the borders of Reuben and Gad Balaam, it would seem, insteau of returning (cf. ver. 17 with eh. xxi. 39). Zareth-sha.har, to his own land, went to nsit the Midianites, or the splendour of the dawn, now Za1'ar, whose elders had joined in the invitation was on the borders of the Dead Sea. Co.non given by Moab -(Num. x~. 7), and per- Triatro.m, in his 'Land of Moab,' mentions suaded them to entice the Israelites into the gorgeous colouring of the landscape idolatry and licentiousness (see Num. xxv.) here, more beautiful and varied, no doubt, For this crime he met with the punishment at dawn than at any other time of the he had deserved, and was involved in the .day. destruction which fell on the l\Iidianites by Ver. 21.-Citles of the pla.ln. "Miahor" God's express command, in consequence of once more. See above, ver. 9, not as in their treachery (Num. xxv. 16-18. See ·Gen. xix., where the word is Ciccar. These, Blunt, 'Undesigned Coinci,lences,' Part I. therefore, were not Sodom and its neigh- 24). bours, but cities of the Amorites. Such 'Ver. 23.-And the border thereof. These touches as this, which display the minute words have been omitted in the Vulgo.te, acquaintance of our author with bis subject, which does not understand them. The are almost of a necessity lost in a trnnslation. LXX. translates, "Ancl the bonlers of Reu- But where our version bas "plo.in," the ben were the Jordan-border." This seems origino.l has Jl,,lishor when the uplands of to be the meaning of the original. The Gileo.d and Basban are meant, Aro.bah when phrase often occurs; as in eh. xv.12 and Num. "the writer is speaking of the Wadys in the xxxiv. 6. Knobel's explanation is probably neighbourhood of the Deo.d Seo, Shephelah the correct one, that the phrase means to when he refers to the lowlands of Western refer to the no.tural boundary marked out _Palestine, bordering on the Mediterranean, by the river or sea and its banks. "The 218 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [en. xrtr. 1~89.