The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 307

ohlefly (Tronoh, ' Select Glossary,' p. 306), specially mentioned, probably booanse ii A oharmer (7~\1 7:?,n); 11 denier in spells, was the form of idolatry with wl,ich thFJ ono who by mer:me of spells or charms Israelites were most likely to come in con- pretends to achiove eomo desired result. tact, both where they then were and also 'l'ho verb here used primarily means to in Canaan; not, as Keil suggests, bec,rnse bind, and the species of metgic ind icntcd ie that form "was more intimately c<mnccte,1 probably !hut practised hy binding certain with soothsaying and magic than o.ny other ]mote, whernby it was supposed that the description of idolatry" -an assertion for curse or blessing, as the case might be, was which there is no evidence. bound on its object; !his was accompanied Ver. 13.-Thou. ehalt be perfect with the apparently with incantation (Pa. !viii. 5). Lord thy God. 'fhe word translated " per- Comp. English spell-bound, and the phrase, fect" properly means entire, ichole, answer- "to riv~t charms" (Jonson, 'Sad Shep- ing to the La.tin integer; it is used only in herd,' ii. 2). A species of incantation a_ moral sense, and i.s best rendered by "up- known to the Romans consisted in tying right;" the Israelites were to be upright kn~ts with threads of different colours, three a.nel. sincere with, i.e. in relation with in number, which were supposed to become Jehovah their God. ' a bond to secure an object (cf. Virg.,' Eclog.' Ver. 14.-Though the heathen whose viii. 76, •77). A oonsulter with familiar land they were to possess sought to diviners spirits. This phrase conveys something and enchanters, Israel was not to do so ; as different from what is expressed, in the for them (the o1;;-,~ at the beginning of the Hebrew. :::i\N SNlli is one who asks or in- clause is e.n emphatic nominative), Jehovah quires of. an Oh, that is, a Python, or their God had not suffered qr:,,:, given, divining spirit. This spirit was supposed granted, allowed) the1a to do such thing3. to be in the person of the conjurer, anrl to Vers. 15-22.-There should be no need be able to reveal to him what was secret for Israel to tum to heathen soothsayers, or or hidden in the future (Lev. xx. 27 ; 1 Sam. diviners, or such like, because from amono-st xxviii. 7, 8; Acts xvi. 16). The notion of themselves, of their own brethren, wo;;'ld "a familiar spirit," i.e. a spirit not dwell- God raise up prophets like unto Moses, who ing in the person, but with which he is as occasion required, would reveal to the~ intimate-generally the spirit of one who what God willed them to know. formerly lived on earth-is a modern notion Ver. 15.-A Prophet. The Hebrew word not known to Scripture. The persons here eo rendered (N•:,i,) is a. derivative from a. referred to were probably ventriloquists verb (~;1}), which signi.fies to tell, to an- (LXX., lyya~Tpl,,.vBo,), and used their faculty nounce; hence the primary concept of the in this respect for purposes of magic, word is that of announcer, or forth-speaker; pretending ihat they had within them a and to this the word "prophet" (Greek spirit which they could consult, and by 1rpo<trf,-r71s, from 1rpJ~11µ.,, I speak before or which they could predict what would in place of) closely corresponds ; the happen or reveal what wns hid. Wizard. prophet is one who speaks in the place The English word ''wizard" did not of God, who conveys God's word to men, originally convey the idea of anything who is nn interpreter of God to men. evil in the person of whom it was used; (Ae illustrative of the meaning of the l\lilton applies it to the Magi who came word, cf. Exod. vii. 1: iv. 16.) Hence to worship at Bethlehem (' Oue on the Nativity,' iv.); it meant merely "the wise Abraham is called a prophet (Gen. =· 7), and the term is applied to the patriarchs one," or " the knowing one; " and thus is generally (Ps. cv. 15): Goel con.eyed his an exact equivalent for the Hebrew word mind to them, and they spoke it forth to here used (•iin:, knowing, wise, from v:i:, others (cf. Amos iii. 7). Like unto me. to know). A neoromancer; one who pro- When the people heard the voice of God fessed to call up the dead, o.nd from them speaking to them at Sinai, and from the to learn the secrets of futurity ( cf. 1 Sam. midst of the fire uttering to them the Ten xxviii. 7). (See on all thcso names the Words, they were struck with terror, and learned and copious disserl1ttion of Dr. besought that they might not again hear Holmes, art. 'Divination,' in Kitto's 'Bibi. that awful voice, but that Moses ruigbt act Cyclop.,' 3rd. edit., i. 682.) as mediator between God and them-might Ver. 12.-All who practised such arts bear wbut God should say, and speak it were an abomination Ullto the Lord, 11nd his untotheru(cb. v.22-27). Moses thus became people ure forbidden to have 11nything to God's prophet to the people; and of this he do with them. They are connected here reminds them here, as well as of the circum- with tlie Moloch-worsbip; because of the stances amid which he entered specially OT\ intimate relation between idolatry and the this office (of. vers. 16, 17). Tho phrase, use of mngico.l arts; and Molocb-worship is "like unto me," does not necessarily imply 304 'l'HE DOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [cu. XVIII. 1-22. - ---- - - - --------------------------- 1lrni the prophet who was to como nftor them at much below their rcol worth were l\ln,C's wns to be in every respect the BRme we to understnnd them of one greatly in- ns he; nil that. is indicated is thnt he would ferior to llloses, o.s all tho prophets who nd as Moses had nctcd ns a mediator be- sneceedcd him in Israel wero until tho t WC'cn God Rnd the people in the way of Chief came (eh. xxxiv. 10; Heb. iii. 1-6). c0nrnving his will to them. Finally, there can be no doubt that tho Yoi. 16.-In the d1Ly of the usembly (of. Jews expected that the l\[cssiah would c-h. ix. 14; x. 4). Rppear RB tlrn Prophet by pre-eminence, and Yer. 18.-And will put my words in his tho.t they founded that expeoto.tion on tho mouth; will so reveal to him my mind, and promise here recorded (cf. John i. 21; vi. ~o inspire him to utter it, that the words he l 4; Acts iii. 22-26; vii. 37 ). It mo.y be ~peaks shall be rcnlly m~· words. The ques- added that our Lord seems to o.pply this t.ion has \Jet•n raised whether, by the Prophet to himself, when he says to the Jews, like unt.o ]\[oses, here promised to the people " Thero is one that accuscth you, even of Israel, is to be understood some eminent l\foscs, in whom ye trust. For had ye bc- indi1·idual,or whether tliis refers to the pro- lie,cd l\loses, ye would have believed me: phetic 01a.oox11, or succession, that wn.s to con- for ho wrote of me" (John v. 45, 46; cf. tinue under the theocracy. For the lo.tter the also xi. 48-50). How early and how wide- context strongly speaks, for (1) the con- spread was the expectation tho.t the Messiah trust betwe<'n whRt God here forbids the would come as a prophet, mo.y be inferred Israelites to do, yiz. to resort to diviners from the existence of this amo11g the Sama- a nrl soothsa ycrs, and the provision he ritans ( John iv. 25 ). It is to be concluded, would make ·ror them so ns to render this then, that this promise has reference ulti- ne<'dlcss. point to a succession of prophets mately to the Messiah, the Great Revealer of rnther than to one indi,idual; (2) the re- God, between whom and Moses there should frrcncc in what follows to the discrimination be e. long succession of prophets, so that of false prophets from true prophets, shows there should always be a medium of Divine that a multiplicity and a succession of communication between Jehovah e.nd his prophets was in the ·l"iew of the speaker, ~ot people. a sin!!le indiYidual; and (3) e.s a success10n Vers.19-22.-To the Prophet who should of priests, of judges, e.nd of kings was con- thus speak to the people all that God should tern plated in this part of the llfosaidegis- command him, they were to pay the utmost lation, tlie presumption is that a succession deference, and to hiij words they were to also of prophets wo.s contemplated. At the render implicit obedience. same time, the use of the singular here is Ver. 19.-1 will require it of him; I will remarkable, for nowhere else is the singular, jndge him and punish his disobedience 11al.ihi, employed to designate more than one (cf. Gen. xlii. 22; 2 Sam. iv. 11; Ps. x. iudi,·iJual; o.nd this suggests that the re- 13, etc.). ference here m"y be to some individual in Yer. 20.-lf, l1owever, a prophet should whom not onl, was the succession to culmi- presume to speak in the Name of the Lord nate as in its crown and eminence, but what the Lord had not commanded him to whose spirit was to pervade the whole speak, or if he should speak in the no.me of succession -that e.1ch member of it should other gods, not only was no rPgo.rd to be exercise his functions only as that Spirit paid to his words, but he was himself to be which was in them did signify (1 Pet. i.11). treated as a blasphemer, and to be put to It is possible also, as 0. von Gerlach has death. SU""ested, that "Pi-ophet" here may be Vera. 21, 22.-The test by which it was us~<l as "seeJ" is in Gen. iii. 15, and that to be discovered which was the true prophet this is a prediction of Christ as the True and which the false, was the fulfilment or l'ro]Jhet, just 11.s the ass~nce to Eve was non-fulfilment of his prediction. The re- a prediction of the Messiah, who, as the ference here is to the prediction of proxi- Head aud Crown of the •· godly seed," should mate events-events that were to happen cud the conflict with the serpent e.nd his within a limited period, but which were not E.t:(;d Ly a crushing victory. It is to be such as one not divinely instructed could cu!Jsi<lered also that, whilst the words '' like foresee. When such came to pass, the pre• rnito me'' do not necessarily imply a resem- tensions of the prophet were thereby sub- Llance in all respects between Moses and stantiated, e.nd his authority established (cf. tl,e Prophet here promised, and wl,ilst they l Sam. iii.19; John ii. 18,etc.). This wes a 1uay be wdl applied to One superior in more certain test than such as wo;i offered lillioy respeclb io Moses, it would be taking by sign.a and wondc1s (eh. xiii. 2, etc.). Cll. XVIII, 1-22,] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. 305