lishment of the covenant at Sinai, followed the latter had by his sin forfeited his birth- 1,,. the st.ntutory festi\"e entertninment (cf. right (Gen. xlix. 4). Exod. xxiY. 5). Ver. 13.-Theae shall lltand upon mount Yer. S.-The injunction to write the :t!lw Ebal to ourae; Ii ternlly, These shall stand on the stones is repeated, with the add1t1on ttpon the curse on Mount Ebal; i.e. it shall the.I it was to he done very plainly (LXX., belong to them to utter the curse. ,ra<pii.•s <rc/>0~1'«: Vulgnte,p1ane et lucide),_which Ver. 14.-The Lovit.es-ste.nding probnbly shows that the mnin purpose of settmg up in some convenient spot midway between the stones wns that the Law might be easily the two mountains (cf. Josh. viii. 33)-were knnwn bv the people (cf. Bab. ii. 2). 'fhe to pronounce with a loud voice the blessing i,tones nnd the nl!~r were fittingly plnced nud the curse, so that nll might hear; uud nn Ebal the monnl of cursing. For the the people were to give their assent, and take setting ~p of the stones ?n _which _the Law to themselves, ns it were, the blessing or was inscribed, and the bmldmg beside them the curse as uttered, by a solemn Amen. of the altnr, wns the symbolical renewal of By the Levites here nre intended, not the the co,cnant of God with Israel, and the sons of Levi generally, hut thu.t portion of establishment in Canaan of that dispensation them which belonged to the priesthood, which was" the ministration of condemnation and be.re the ark of the covenant (of. Josh. and of death" (2 Cor. iii. 7, 9), and of that viii. 33). Law which, though in itself" h~ly,just, a;'1d IJOod," cnn only, because of man s perversity Vere. 15-26.-The curses to be pro- und sinfulness, bring on those who are under nounced were twelve in number, probably it a curse (Ge.I. iii. 10). to correspond with the number of the tribes. Yers. 9, 10.-When Israel renewed ~he The blessings are not here recorded; but cornne.nt with the Lord, by solemnly settmg when the injunction here given was fulfilled up the Law in Canaan, it bee1;me thereby by Joshua, the blessing as well as the curse the nation of God, and bound itself at the 6 ame time to hearken to the voice '!f the was pronounced (Josh. viii. 34). And Loni, and keep his comme.~dments, as 1t _had probably, as the Jews report, each, the already done (cf. eh. XXVL 17, 18; M.icah blessing and the curse, was prononnced i,. 5). alternately (Talmud Bab., 'Sotah,' o. 7 ~ Ver. 9.-Take heed; literally, Be sz'!ent ; Te.rgum Hieros., in loc.; Surenhns., 'Mishna,' LXX .. a,c{nra, with silent attention hsten iii. 262). It has sometimes been doubted (cf. Zech. ii 13). whether any human voice could be audible Vers.11-14.-Havingsetupthe Law and over so wide a stretch as that between these renewed the covenant in Canaan, Israel was two monnte.ins; but this need be no longer to proclaim upon the land the blessing and matter of doubt, for the experiment has the clll'l!e of the Law, as already commanded been repeatedly tried in recent times with (see eh. :ri. 29). For this purpose six tribes snccess (Tristre.m, ' Land of Israel,' p. 150 ; were to station themselves on Mount Bonar, p. 371 ; Stanley, 'Syr. and Pal.,' Gerizim, and six on Mount Ebe.I, the former p. J 3). In the clear atmosphere of the East to pronounce the blessing, the latter the sounds travel far. It is to be borne in mind curse. (On the situation of these two monn- also that it was not a single voice that had tains, see at eh. ri. 29.) The six tribes by to make itself heard across the valley on whom the blessing was to be pronounced this occasion, but a chorus of voices pro- were Simeon, Levi. J ude.h, Issa.char, Joseph, ceeding from a body of priests stationed and Benjamin, all descended from the two apparently in the midst between the two wives of Je.cob---Lee.h and Rachel The companies (cf. Josh. viii. 33), 11nd chanting tribes by whom the curse was to be uttered in unison the words of each blessing or were those descended from Zilpe.h, Leah's eur11e. maid, viz. Gad and Asher ; those descended Vere. 15-26.-Ee.ch of the first eleven from Bilhe.h, Rachel's maid, viz. Dan and eur.es is directed age.inst some particular Naphte.li; with Zebulun and Reuben, both sin already denounced in the Law. The descended from Leah. As, in order to ob- twelfth curse is directed generally age.inst tain a di vision of the tribes into two equal all breaches of the Law, age.inst those who portions, two of the sons of Leah must be fail or refuse to set up the whole Law and follow it as the rule of life and conduct. assigned to the second half, Zebulun and This shows that the sins specially denounced Reuben were chosen, probably because the are selected by way of specimen, and also, former was the youngt,st of Leah's sons, and perhaps, because they are euoh as could OH. XXVIt. 1-26.] THE BoOK OF DEtJTEfl.ONOMY. 1 ·'
for the most port be ensily concenlcd from Ver. 21.-(Cf. Lev. xviii. 21: u. 15.) judici11l inspection. Vere. 22, 23.-(Cf. Lev. xvi ii. 9, 17.) Ver. 15.-(Cf. Exod, xx. 4; Lev. xxvi. I.) Ver. 24.-(Cf. Exod. xx. 13; N"umb. xxxv Ver. 16.-(Cf. Exod. xxi. 17.) 16, etc.) Ver. 17.-(Cf. eh. xix. 14.) Ver. 25.-(Cf. Exod. xxiii. 7, 8.) Ver. 18.-(Cf. Lev. xix. 14.) Ver. 26.-(Cf. eh. xxviii. 15 • Jer xi Ver. 19.-(Cf. oh. xxiv. 17.) 3, 4.) ' • • Ver. 20.-(Of. Lev. xviii. 8; eh. xxii. 30.)
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-10.-" Very plainly." 'l'hese words," very plainly," suggest three lines of thought. 0