horror, Wherefore hath the Lord done th12.1 its letterB, the ~. larger thrm the rest, and unto this land 1 what mennoth the heat of nnother letter, •, which should be after the this great anger 1 H ie evident from this ~. is omitted; on which "Baal Hattorim thnt Moeee oontomplntee, e.nd in f11Ct here noteth, Thero is e. great lamed and a. wa.ot predicts, e. defection, not of individue.ls or fomilios merely, but of thene.tion e.e e. whole o_f yod, to tee.eh that there is no casting a.wa.y from the Lord, nnd the punishment which like that of the ten tribes" (Ainsworth) cnmo in consequence upon the nation. The According to Buxtorf, the large lamed represents the first letter of l'olam for ever words from " when they eeo " ( ver. 22) to and the yod, the numeral 10, repr~seots th; "wro.th" (ver. 23) a.re a. po.renthesie, in which ten tribes, whose perpetnal omission from 11 reo.son for the ma.in thought is given in e. the nation of Israel is thus indicated cil'cumsto.ntio.l cle.ueo; nnd the " say " of (' Tiberias,' I. c. 14, p. 157). ver. 22 is resumed by the "say" of ver. 24. Ver. 20.-By secret things, here, some Ver. 23.-And that the whole land thereof understand "hidden sins," which are known ie brimstone, and salt, e.nd burning, etc. ; only to God, and which he will punish rather, sulphur and salt, a burning the whole (Targum Jon.); but the rucanin"' rather is land thereof, it shall not be sown, etc. The t~ings in God's purpose kno;n only t~ words" sulphur," etc., are in e.pposition to himself: these things, it is affirmed, belon"' . the " plagues e.nd eickneesee " of ver. 22, to him, are his affair, and may be left with and thus BO for depend on the " see." him. On the other hand, tile thin"'S re- 'fhe description here is taken from the vealed are the things made known by God country a.round the -Dead Sea, to which to man in his Word, viz. his injunctions, there is an express allusion in the close of threatenings, o.nd promises ; and with these the verse (cf. Gen. xix. 23, etc.). As this men have to do. This verse is by some country, which before had been e.s the gar- regarded as part of the answer given to the den of the Lord, became, when the wrath of question of ver. 2±; but others regard it as God was poured upon it, utterly desolate a general reflection added by Moses by way e.nd waste; so should it be with the le.ad of of admonition to his previous discourse. Israel when the plagues e.nd sicknesses This latter view is the more probable, and threatened were laid on it by the Lord. Ver. 24.-What meaneth the hee.t of this the scribes may have had this in their mind great anger 1 'fhe reply to this question when they distinguished the worcis, unto us comes in what follows (vers. 25-28). and to onr children, by placing over them ex- Ver. 26.-Gods , , , whom he had not traordinary points (7~ ii;).~ ,i u i), in order given unto them (cf._ch. iv. 19). _ to emphasize them., though by many this is Ver. 27.-All the curses; literally, eTJery regarded as a mere critical notation, indicat- curse, or the whole curse ( cf. Dan, ix. 11, etc.). ing e. various reading (Boxtorf, ' Tiberias,' Ver. 28.-And cast them. In the Hebrew I. e. 17, p. 179 ; Ha.vernick, 'lntrod.,' p. the word cast them (C?.?ff.:} has one of 281; Bleek, 'Einleit,' p. 799).
HOMILETICS.
Vers.1-6.-WUnessing without seeing. There is an inatrnctive note on this passage in Dr. Jameson's 'Commentary.' For nearly forty years the people had been wit- nesses of the extraordinary care of God m watching over them, in supplying their wants, and in conducting them through the wilderness; and yet the constant succession of mercies had had no proper effect on them. They did not read the loving-kindness of God in all as they should have done. Having eyes, they saw not; having ears, they heard not. The form, however, in which Moses here throws this is remarkable. If his words are not understood, he may seem even to cast a reflection on God, for having given them such great mercies, while at the same time he withheld the one mercy which would make blessings of all the rest. Yet we cannot for a moment think that Moses intended anything of the kind. Ho evidently reproaches the people for their dulness. If there had been an earnest desire to understand the deep meaning of God's dealings with thorn, certainly the needful light and wisdom would not have been withheld. Our subject of thought arising hence is-Spiritual stolidity; or, witnessing withO'Ut seeing. The following passages of Scripture should be studied in regard to this theme :-Isa. vi. 9, 10; lxiii. 9, 10, 17 ; J er. v. 21 ; Ezck. xii. 2; :xiv. ; Matt. :xi. 25 ; :xii. 24 ; xiii. 14, 15 ; xv. 16 ; xvi. O; xxi. 27; Mark iii. 5 (Greek); v. 23; vi. 52; viii. 10-13, 21 ; Luke vii. 29-35; xii. 56, 57; xix. 42; John iv. 33; vii. 17; viii. 31, 32, 47; ix. 30-41; xiv. 9, 22; 1 Cor. ii. 14; 2 Cor. iii. 14, 15; Ps. xxv, 14. Observe- DEUTERONOMY, 2G THE BOOK OF DEU'l'EHONOMY. [err. XXIX, 1--29.