to the time a/fer the people depnrted from mero contention, bnt litigntion, ault-nt-lnw. Horeh. but tn the time genel'Rlly when they Some understand nil these three, of troubles were in thnt region (sec Exod. xnii. 5, 13). and burdOOl! laid upon Moses, by his being "The imperfect (il;)k~, I spa.kc), with vaic called upon to compose differences, nud re1. expresses the order of thought nnd not e.djust competing clnims nmong the people. of time" ( Keil). It is not mention eel in D_ut other burdens besides theso came upon Exodus thnt Moses spnke to the people, ae him as the lel\dcr of the nlltiou ; cmd it here st.atNl, but what Jethro said to him seems best, therefore, to underst11nd tho first to this effL,ct is rC'Mrdcd ; nnd as Moses two of troubles and burdens genomlly. prncel'<l<'d to put in execution whnt hie Ver. 13.-Take you; litemlly, give to you father-in-lo. w n<l 1·ised, it is probable that or for you, i.e. you1·selvea. The selection woe in dning so he told the people what he pro- ~o be_m,ade by the people th~mselvee. Jethro, posed to do, with his reasons for so doing, rn g1vmg Moses the advice on which he nnd ohtnin<'d their assent, as bore men• thus acted, described the men who were to tionC'd. be selected as "such os fear God, men of Yer. 10.-Notwithetanding the cruel op- truth, hating covetousness" (Exod. xviii. pression to which they were subjected in 21). Moses hero describes them rather by Egypt, the Israelites had so increased in qualities, indicating ability and fitness for numbers that thev went out of tho house of such a post as thot to which they were to be their bondage a mighty host. Ye ltre this ea.lied; they were to be wise (which, indeed, day as the stars of heaven for multitude (cf. may be regarded as comprehending oil good Gen. xv. 5 ; xtli. 17). God had promised moral qualities); understBDding men, men of to Abraham that his seed should be as the discernment and sagacity, as well as intel- stars of heaven for multitude; and Moses ligence ; and Im.own among their tribes, here reminds the people that this promise men of good repute in the community had been fulfilled. This is hardly to be ("quorum conversatio sit probata," Vulgate; regarded ns the utterance of hyperbole, comp. Acts vi. 3; 1 Tim. iii. 7). And I will When God gave the promise to Abraham make them rulers over you; literally, wiij it was to the stars as seen by the patriarch, set them for your heads, i.e. will appoint not llii actually existing in the immensity them to act as superintendents, manogere, of space, that reference was made ; and as and judges over you. , the number of stare which co.n be taken in Ver.3. 14, 15.-The people approved of with the naked eye does not exceed ,lO00, the proposal, and acted upon it; ond Moses nnd o.s Israel at this time numbered more accordingly oppointed the persons selected than 600,000, counting only the adult males to be chiefs over thousands, and over hun• (Numb. ii. 32),-it might be literally said of dreds, and over fifties, and over tene (Exod, them that they had been multiplied as the xviii. 21); he appointed men also to be sta.cs of heaven. The comparison, however officers, that is, persons who should preserve imported nothing more the.n that their num~ order in the tribes, keeping the registers, hers were very great. • acting as scribes, to prescribe and to take account of work, ond perhaps also attend- Ver. 11.-It was not the vost increase of ing to fiscal arrangements (c•:,9i:i, shoterim, the people in numbers that distressed Moses rather_ was ~his to him a matter of rejoicing; a word of general application; cf. Exod. v. and his desire was that their increase miuht 6, I 0, 14 ; Josh. iii. 2 ; 2 Chron. xxvi. 11, k--come still greater, even a thousandf;ld. etc. LXX. ")'paµ.µ.a-riis nnd ")'paµ.µ.a.-ro•rnta.• But be fd_t his own inability, es leader, "Y.,.,,,,,). In Exodus, Moses is said to have ruler, oud Judge, alone to cope with so ves1; chosen these functionaries (xv iii. 25); but e. multitude. whot many do under the direction of one Ver. 12.-Mosee appeals to the good sense may be said to be done by him. of the, pt::ople themselrns: How can I my- Vere. 16, 17.-In instolling the judges, self alone bear your cumbrance, and your Moses solemnly charged them to deal im- burden, and your strife 1 Cumhrance: tb is partially, fairly, and equitably with those i8 a just rendering of the Hebrew word r.,i::, who might come before them. from r::,~. which, tl,ough it occurs only ·i; 0 Ver. 16.-Kear between your brethren, i.e. hear impartially both parties, and judge the Hiphil in HeLrew, in the sense of to righteously between man and man, whether ea.et down (JoL xvii 11), probably was in both porlies nre Israelites, or one of the UBe also in the Kai, in the sense of to lay parties a stranger. up3n, to encumber, which is the meaning of . Ver. 17.-Ye shall not reapeot persone; the cognate Arabic ~ followed by IS~. literally, look at or regard faces, i.e. ye aha.II not deal psrtially, favouring the one fluriun (tt:;oi:::, from ttin, to lift up, to carry, party rather than the other (comp. Exod, to bear), something lifted up e.nd carried, xxiii. 2, 3; Lev. xix. 15); the small as well a load or burden. Strife: (:1'".1) here, not as the great were to be heard, and neithe1 ell. I. 1-18.] TH:ffi nooK OF DEUT:ffiltONOMY.
for favour nor from fenr were they to per- superiflr 1rnthflrity (see Exod. xviii. 26). vort juetioe. The judgment is God'■; i.e. "Some think there were certllin causes re- nppointed br God and administered in his served to the cognizance of Moses; but the n 11 mo, tho Judge noting for God and by contrary appears by these ,vords, that all his nuLhority, o.ncl being nnswerable to him manner of causes wero brought before tho (comp. 2 Chron. xix. 6). Hence the phrases, judges; and they, Mt the people, brought "to inquire of God," "to bring before God" such Cl\ases before Moses as they found too (Exocl. xviii. 15, 19: xxi. 6; xxii. 8, etc.)- hard for them to determine. So that they, phrnses still in use among the Ambs for a not the person whose cause it wns, judged summoning to judioinl trial. In the cl\se of the difficulty of the cause. See 8elden, of a matter coming bt>fore the judges which lib. i. 'De Synedriis, cap. xvi." (Ilishop they found it beyond their power to decide, Po.trick). they were to bring it before Moses as a