,., 28-33; 'l'i. 1). It was also aftor the Began; rather set himself to. The Hebrew deBtruction of Sihon and •Og (Numb. xxi. word signifies to undertl\110, to betl\lto 21-35). This 1tlso is significant. Dy the one's self to, 1tnd so to begin. It is destru('tion or these ldnge, who sought to variously rendered in the Authorized Ver- bar the aeeess of the Israelite~ to the sion (comp. Geu. XYiii. 27, "tBken it upon promised lnnd, God had gi"en proof thnt me;" Exod. ii. 21, "wns content," ho.d made he would indeed fulfil hie promise to his up his mind; I Sam. xii. 22,. '' it pleased;" people. nnd had at once laid them under xvii. 39, "assayed,"etc.). To deolare, i.e.mllke obligations to obedience, and gi\'en them clear, explain, expound (Hub. ii. 2, "make encoumgement t{) go forward on the oourse plain "). The Hebrew word here used (i!t~) ro which he had called them. The "he'' signifies primarily to out or dig, then to cut here is J\fosp,e, who, nt the command of God, into, to grave, and then to cut or dig out so hnd Jed the Israelites against Sihon and as to mA.ke evident, to declare, to mske pin.in. •Og. Edrei, hod. Draa (Numb. xxi. 33) was What Moses set himself to do, then, wos not the second capitnl of 'Og; he "reigned in to publish a new law, but to mo.ke plain to Ashtaroth and in Edrei" (,Tosh. xiii. 12). the people tho Law o.lready promulgo.ted, to Here. howeyer, it denotes the place where set forth clearly o.nd pointedly what they were he was slain in battle, nnd the words "in required by tho Law to be and to do. This Edrei" are to be referred to the 'l'erb explains more fully the "spake" (if1) of " smote " and not to " dwelt " (cf. eh. iii. I : ver. 3. This exposition of the Law was Numb. xxi. 33). designed speeislly for the sake of those who, Yer. 5.-The Jocalitv is again described at the timo the Lo.w was first promulgo.ted, BE beyond .Jordan (see on 'l'cr. I), and in the either were not born or were incapable of land of lloab. This designates the region understanding it (Grotius). The expression elsewhere co.lied Arboth Muab--the Plains used by Moses plainly indicates thst this book of Moab (Numb. u:ii. I; eh. xxxiv. I, etc.), was not intended to furnish o. second code the region on the east of the Jordan, of laws different from the former, but simply opposite to Jericho, now l.,iown ns the to explain aud enforce whst had before been region of Kerak (Burckhardt, • Syria,' p. enjoiued, S77, etc.; Robi.n,on, 'Ilib. Rea.," ii. 569).
PART I. INTRODUCTORY ADDRESR CHAPTER I. 6-CHAPTER IV. 40. 'rcr. 6.-"Witb this verse begins Moses' Thie was the starting-point, so to speo.k, of first address to tLe people, which extends to Israel's being as the specio.l people of God il,c end of eh. fr. It is of an introductory -his segullah (,i?-;1~, Exod. xix. 5), his character, and is occupied chiefly with a special treasure. Tliere he mnde himself retrospective survey of tLe events that had known to them as Jehovah, the Eterno.l and Unchangeable, and entered into covenant occurred during the forty years of their with them; and there they received that wanderings. By this Moses reminded 1.he Law, on the keeping of which depended their people how God had fulfilled bis promises retention of the privilege, to which they to them, and at the same time, how they had had been elected. At Horeh the Israelites by their rebellion drawn down on them bis had remained for about a year (comp. Exod. displtcn.sure, which had caused their wan- xix. 1 and Numb. x. 11, 12), and as tho purpose for which they bad been brought derings to be so much more protracted than thither was answered, they were enjoined they would otherwise have been. to move, not indeed by express command, Yers. 6-8.-Tbe Lord's command to but by the rising of the cloud from over the depart from Hamb, and his promise to the tabernacle, which was tho signal of their people. me.rcb (Numb. ix. 15, etc.; x. 11-13), pre- ceded Ly the instructions they bad recoi ved Ver. 6.-The Lord our God-Jelw~ah our preparatory to their removal (Numb. i.-iv. 7). God. Tl,e use of this epithet implies the Ya have dwelt long enough in this mount. covenant union of Israel with Jehovah, and The Israelites remained e.t Sinai from the presupposes the existence of that oovenant third month of the first year to the twentieth which Wll.E entered iDto at Sinai. In Horeb. day of the seoond year after they came 'l'HE BOOlt OF DEUTERONOMY, 5