The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 332

would be with them to protect and help Ver. 9.-The next thing lhe e1wterina tlwm (cf. re. xx. 7). Horses e.nd oh'e.riots. hnd to no wns lo appoint cnpto.ine to hend In these, which constituted the main the people who were going to wo.r. Tbo strength of the nn\ ions with which they army was divided into bo.nde or compnnice, would lrnve to c01,tend, the IS?'Mlites were and over ea.eh of these II co.pto.in wne placed, deficient; and to them these were always whose it was to command and lend tct". objects of terror in war (,Josh. xi. 4; xvii. Numb. xxxi. 14, 48; l Sam. viii. 12; 16; Judg. i. 19; iv. B; l Snm. xiii. 5). uii. 7; 2 Sam. xviii. 1). Captains of the Ver. 2.-The priest. Not the high priest armies. The phrase, "captain of n host" or any one of the priests, but the military (!.:~]! ">\!' ), usue.lly designe.tes tho general or priest, the priest appointed to accompany commander-in-chief of the entire o.riuy (Gen. the army, "the nnuinted for the war;" xxi. 22; 2 Sam. ii. 8; l Kings xvi.16, eto.); ;'i~;-;~:,.:i ~'~~, as tbe ra.bbins designate but here the phrase is used in the plum! him (cf. Numb. xxxi. 6; l Sam. iv. 4; of the chiefs of the companies or detach- 2 Chrun. xiii. 12). His business was to ments of which the whole was composed. exhort 11,e people, and to encourage them Vers. 10-20.-Directions concernin!I the b1· reminding tliem that the Lord was their besieging of towns. In the case of a town L·cader, and would Lelp them in the conflict. The formula of his exhortation is given in at e. distance, not belonging to any of the Yers. B, 4. Cnna.anitish tribes, on advancing age.inst it Vera. 5-7.-The officers; the shorerim, they were first of e.11 to summon the in- the keepers of the c:enealogical tabl~ (eh. habitants to e. peaceable surrender and xvi. l S). It belonged to them to appomt the submission (cf. Judg. xxi. 13). If this was men wl:o were to serve, anu to release those complied with, the inhabitants were to wl,o had been summoned to the we.r, bnt whose domestic relations were such as to become tributary to the Israelites and serve entitle them to exemption. If there Wai! them; but if this was refused, the town one who had built a house, but ha.d not was to be besieged, and, when to.ken, e.11 the dedicated it, i.e. by taking possession of it me.Jes were to be slain, and the women and aud dwelling in it; or if there was one who children, e.s well as all the booty that was had planted a Yineyard and ba.d not eaten in the place, were to be taken as the prey of the fruit thereof; or if there was one who had betrothed e. wife, but had not yet of the conquerors, who were to appropriate married her ;-such were to be allowed to the spoil to their own use. retu.~ home, lest they should die in battle, Ver. 10.-Then proolaim peace unto it; and it be left to others to consummate what i.e. invite it peaceably to surrender. they had begun. According to Jos~pbus, Ver. 11.-She.ll be tributaries unto thee, this exemption was f~r a .year, 11:ccordmg to and they she.11 serve thee; literally, shall the analogy of eh. XXI v. 5. Dedicated ; pro- be to thee for tribute and service. The word babl v for~ possession was ta.ken of the rendered by" tribute" (op) denotes properly house by some solemn ceremony, followed tribute service, service rendered as e. tribute, b-. a festive entertainment. Vineyard. The whether for e. sea.son or in perpetuity (cf. Hebrew word (er,:) here used designates Gen. xlix. 15; Judg. i. 30, 3~, 35; l Kings "a field or park °of the nobler .t:>lants and v. 13; ix. 21; lee.. xxxi. 8 [Authorized trees cultimted in the manner of a ge.rden Version, "discomfited"]). or orchard" (Ges.) ; so that not vineyards Ver. 14.-Bhe.lt eat the spoil ; consume alone, but also oliveye.rds and plo_ts of the it for thine own maintenance. more ve.lue.ble fruit trees may be mtended. Vera. 16-20.-Thie was for cities e.t e. dis- Rath not ea.ten of it; litera.lly, hath not tance; it wa.s to be otherwise with the cities of laid it open, made it wmmun, i.e. begun to u,;e it. to gather its produce ~or common the Canaanitee. To them no offer of peo.ce- use (cf. eh. xxviii. 30; Jer. xxx1. 5). Trees ful submission we.a to be made, e.nd when the planted for food were not to be used :OOfore city was taken, e.11 the inhabitants without tl,e fifth vear of their growth (Lev. Xll. 23, reserve were to be destroyed. This was in etc.; cf. eh. xxiv. 5). accordance with God's command to Ier&.el Ver. 8.-The shoterirn were also to allow e.uy that were naturally timid and fe.in!-9 (Exod. xxiii. 31-33; xxxiv. 11-16; eh. vii. hearted to return to their homes, Jest, if I-3), and as e. preeaution against the risk th,,y remained with the host, others, in- of the people being seduced into idolatry foctc,d by them, should 10110 courage and by the bee.then should they be allowed to become unfit for service. ll'.iB brethren'& remain in the land. But whilst engaged heart faint· literally, flow down or melt (cf. in besieging e. town, they were not to destroy Josh. vii. 5). lu eh. i. 28, this verb ill ren- dered by " •lisconre.ged." the fnnt treea that were outside the we.Us; OD, XX. 1-20,] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY, 331