The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 63

by the mn(her's side (his fot.hor wns of tho the rniddlo of tho ravine was to bo their tribe nf ,TudRh, l Chron. ii. 22), obtained boundary lino to tho south. On tho north. th<' Ar/!"nh rel!"ion unto-i.e. inclusiYe of (sec east tho Upper J,ibbok (Nahr Amm&11) was ,fosh. xiii. 1:i)-the territory of the Geshuri to he their bnundnry; this scp1uatcd thclU &nd M&&oh&thi. These were small Syrian from Ammonitis, tho region of the chiltlrcn 1rilX's lncntoo. to the enst of Ucrmon. As of Ammon (Numb. xxi. 2-l). On the west G,.,)111r signifies & bridge, it !ins been <'011· the 'Aritltth (Ghor), and tho Jordan and its jC'ct.urC'd that the Geshuri(cs wcro locntcd border (its cast bank), from Chinncrelh nenr some wcll-1,nown bri,lg-o across the (I, innereth), I\ fenced city by the scn of Jordan, of which, perhaps, t.hcy wcro the G~lilcc, thence cnlled "tho sea of Chin- kC'cprrs, nnd from this took their name. ncrcth" (Numb. xxxiv. 11; Josh. xii. 3; J\fanrhnh is cnlled Amm• (Syria-) J\fanchah xix. 35), to the sea of tho 'Arnbnh, the salt se&, in I Citron. xiK. 6. According to the ' Ono- under Ashdoth-pisge.h-tho slopes (liternlly, lll!l.8!.icon.' it wos" n ci(y of the Amorilcs, by the outpourings, tho placo where tho moun- the Jordan, near Mount Hermon" (s.v. tain tonents flow out, hence the bo.se of the MaxaB[). It had in later times a king, who hill)of Pisgnh (Numb. xxi. 15; xxvii. 12)- ollie<l himself with the Ammonites against ee.stwe.rd; i.e. simply the eo.st side of the David (I Chron. xix. 7). These tribes were 'Anlbnh nnd the J ordo.n. subdued, but not d,·stroycd, by the hraelitcs; n nd at n Inter period lccm to have regained COKCLDSION OF HISTORICAL RECAPITULATIOY. their i ndcpcndcuce, and to hM·e formed one Ver~. 18-W. kiug-dnm ,,comp. 2 Sam. iii. 3; x. 6; xiii. 37; Vers. 18-20.-l\Ioses reminds the two n. 8; 1 Chron. iii. 2). And called them n.nd n half tribes of tho conditions on which a~er his own na.me, Bashan-h&voth-jair. they had received the possessions they hncl The word haroth (properly chat•roth, ri1;,) is dcsircrl beyond Jordan (see Numb. xxxii. the plural of a word meaning life, nnd Cluu·• 20-32). All that are meet for the war; -roth-Jair probably signifies Jair's livings, literally, all the sons of might (~'.1:1 ~~:;i), i.e. not not J nir's ,. illagcs, for these were o.pparently nil who ,vero men of wnr or of ngci to go to fortified cities (vers. 4, 5; Josh. xiii. 30; wnr, but men spccinlly powerful n.ncl fitteil 1 Kings iv. 13). These were recaptured for wnl'like enterprise. Until the Lord hath by the Gcshuritcs, niJcd by the Ara.means given rest unto your brethren ( comp. Exod. (1 Chron. ii. 23, "And Geshur nnd Arnm xxxiii. 14). took Chnvvoth-Jair from them," etc.); at Vera. 21, 22.-Joshua appointed as Moses' who.t time is unknown. From Numb. xxxii. successor in the leadership. 42, it appeo.rs that Nobah, also a family Ver. 21.-At that time, i.e. n.ftcr the con- descended from Machir, took certain towns, q nest of the laud on the east of the J ordo.n ,·iz. "Kenn1.h nnd her daughters" in this (sec Numb. xxvii. 12, etc.). Thine eyesha.ve district; these, with the twenty-three Hav- seen, etc. Joshua. was directed to what ho voth-Jnir, mnde up the sixty towns which had himself witnessed, what his own eyes " belonged to the sons of J\fachir the father hntl seen, in the destruction of Sihon o.nd of Gilead" (1 Chron. ii. 23). Nobah was Og o.nd their hosts, thnt he might bJ en• probably in some way subordinate to Jnir, courngcd to go forward in the com·se to nod so in this rhetorical discourse, where it which ho had been called ; nnd the people is not the purpose of the author to enter on are reminded of this, that they mo.y keep in minute details, the whole of these cities are mind what God hnd clone for Israel, nncl included under the name Havrnth-Jair. may without fem· follow Joshua. as their Unto this day. " This does not necessarily leader to the conquest of Co.nno.n (comp. imply o. long time; and Moses himself may eh. xxxi. 23). have used this expression, though only Ver. 22.-The "be" here is emphatic; shortly after ilic event, in order to give ns God himself would fight for them, why prominence to the cnpture of the forlilicJ shonhl they be afraid ? cities of the giant king Og, by tlie Manas- Vere. 23-20.-Prayer of Moses. llloses sites for 1.he encouragement of the Israeli tee" knew thnt he was not to enter the promised (Herzheiwer). Yt:r. 15.-:,Cf. Numb. mii. 40; I Chron. land with the people; but, reluctant to ii. 22.) relinquish the enterprise which he ho.cl so Yers. l C, 17.-The possession of the tribes fa1· conducted until he should see it suc- of ReuLen and Gncl is here more exactly cessfully finished, ho besought the Lortl defiued. l!s southern boundary was the thnt at lenst he might be permitted to cross mi.<ldlc of the ,·alley (the wndy) of the the Jordnn, nnd sco the goodly land. Thie Anion; half the valley, and the border, i.e. tl,e witldle of the ravine (or wady) and its prayer was presented probably just before ed~e; o. more pr0ci;e definition of the river Moses asked God to set o. man m·cr the Arnon; the brook which flowed through , congregation to be their leader to the pro- OIi, III, 1-2!J.] THE IlOOK OF DEUTERONOMY, 47