The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 419

Rom. 1.i. 25; 2 Cor. iv. 4). Thou ahe.lt Latin writer~ (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' xvi!. 47: grope (cf. Isn. lix. 10). Thus afflicted in ~ato, ' De Re Rust.,' o. 95; Plnut., ' Cietell.,' hody nnd mind, their stnte should be one ~v. ~), th? f£ ''.~ f,t, of the Greeks (Dochnrt, only of oppression and oa.lamity, with no Hieroz., pt. n. bk. 1v. c. 27), l1opC' of deli1·erance. Ver. 40.-Thine olive shall oaat hie fruit. Ye!'I'. 30-34.-The spolialiou of them Some would render here •• shall be plun- should be utter. All most dear and pre- C'ious to th0m should be the prey of their dered or rooted out," taking the verb ,rlt- enemies. "'ifo, house, vineyard, herd, nnd as the Niph. of ,i,~ ; but the majority flock should be ruthlessly taken from them; regard it as part of the verb ,r.,i, and render sons nnd daughters should be carried into "shnll drop off," or ne iu the• Authorized C'-~pti1·ity, nod their eyes should look for Version. Thero is some doubt, however, them in vain, with constant and wasting longing (0f. Jer. viii. 20; Amos v. 11; l\'lioah whether the verb ,r.;i can be used intransi- ,·i. 15; Zeph. i. 13; 2 Chron. xxix. 9; Neh. tively. -• xi. 36; Jer. v. 15). Ver. 42.-Consume; literally, taT,e posses- Yer. 30.-And aha.lt not gather the grapes sion of. The name given here to the ra~ag- thereof; margin," Ilcbrew, profane." This ing insect is not the snme as in ver. 38; is the literal rendering of the verb; the but there oan bo no doubt it is the locust meaning is that given in the text. A ,ine- that is intended. ~·arrl was, for the first three years after it wns Vers. 43, 44.-(Cf. vers. 12, 13.) plantPrl, held sacred (Lev. xix. 23); after Ver. 46.-These curses would be for a that. its consecrntion ceased, and the fruit sign and for a wonder, exciting astonish- might he gathered for common use (cf. eh. ment and dismay in the beholder, and xx. G), an<l it was said to be profaned. showing that it was indeed the hnnd of Yer. 32.-And there shall be no might in God that was upon the rebellious nation. thine hand. Keil proposes to render here, For ever. This, though it mny imply the " Thv hand shall 11ot be to thee towards final and utter rejection of Israel as a God;" and others," Thy hand shall not be nation, does nut preclude the hope of re- to thee for God," i.e. instead of God. Ilut storation of a part of Isrt1el as individuals, S!' here is not "the Mighty One, God; but or as n remnant remaining in or retumin"' simply" might, strength, power," as in Gen. to faith and obedience (cf. Isa. x. 22; vi. xxxi. 29; Prov. iii. 27; Micah ii. 1. Literally 13; Rom. ix. 27; :xi. 5). rendered, the words a.re, And not for might Vera. 47-57.-Fourth group. In order is thy hand, the meaniug of which is well still more to impress on the minds of the expressed in the Authorized Version. people the evil and dange1· of rebellion and Vers. 35-46.-Third group. l'{oses re- aposte.cy, Moses enlarges on the calamities verts to the colam.ities alreadv threatened that would ensue on their being given up (,·er. 27), for the purpose .of leading on the to the power of the heathen. Bec1rnse they thought that, as such di.Eeases separated the would not serve Jehovah their God, they sufferer from the society of his fellows, i;o should be delivered to be servauts to their Israel should be separated from God and enemies. brought under the dominion of strangers as Vera. 49, 50.-The description here given 11. pu11ishment for rebellion and e.poste.cy. of the enemy to whom Israel was to be sub- Ver. 35.-A sore botch; an incurable jected, applies more or less closely to all leprosy, affecting not merely the joints and the nations whom God raised up from time cxtremitiCE, but the whole body. Such an to time, to invade Israel and chRstise the· affliction would exclnde a man from all people for their rebellion-the Cbaldeans fellowship and from all covenant privi- (cf. Jer. xlvili. 40; xlix. 22; Ezek. xvii. leges of the nation. So Israel, rendered 5-7; He.b. i 6, etc.), the Assyrians (cf. unclean by their sin, should be cut off from Isa. v. 26; uxviii. 11 ; xxiii. 19), the Medes coveru.nt union with God. (Isa. xiii. 17, 18); but there are features Vers. 36, 37.-As e. consequence, God would in the description which apply especially to bring them nnder subjection to a foreign the Romans; and the horrors delineated in power, and they should be made to serve the latter p_art of tb.e section (vers. 52-57) other gods, wood and stone (eh. iv. 28), and carry one s thoughts immediately to the would become an object of horror, a pro- terrible scenes which transpired during verb, and e. byword among the nations (cf. the wars of Vespaeian and Titus with tha l Kings ix. 7; Jer. x.xiv. 9). Jews as narrated by Josephus (' De Bell. Ver. 38.-Even in their own land the J ud.,' vi. ; see Milman, 'Hist. of the Jews,' eur&e would overtake them and rest upon bk. xvi.). them in all lheir interests and relations, Ver. 49.-As the eagle fileth. The eaglo Ver. 39.-Wol'Illl; probably the vine was the common ensign of the legion in the \\<xvi!, the convolvulUB or involvulus of the Roman army; and by the Le.tin writers on. XXVUL 1-68.] THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY.