The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 490

God )ind bound Isrnel to himself ns by the anger by their vanilic~, I.heir nothingncss~s, mnmnge bo11d, nncl they by their unfaith- mere vapours and empty exhalations ( □'',_:i_;;; fulness hnd incitotl hirn to jealousy (of. cf. Jer. x. 6; John ii. 8; 1 Cor. viii. 4); ·as oh. xxxi. 16; Exod. xxxiv. 15; Isn. !iv. 5; they had forsaken him for a. no-God, he 1!-.os. i., etc.). Btra.nge gods ( of. J er. ii. 25; won)d send retribution on_ them by adopting in. 13). as h,s a no-people, and g1VIn"' to o. foolish Ver. 17.-Devils; s1iedim, a word which nation, i.e. a. nation not bero;e possessed of occurs only here and Ps. ovi. 37. H stands that true wisdom the beginn\,11{ or which is connected with the Yerb 11:11, to rule, nnd the fear of the Lord, the pri vilr.,.es and means primnl'ily "lords." The LXX. render blessings which Jsrael had forfeitecthy their by B,uµ.&v,a, demon~. In Assyrian it is said to appstacy. By "a no-people" is not to be be a nnme for demigotls. Not to God; 1·athcr, unrlerstood a s,l.Vage tribe not yet formed to a not-God, n composite term in apposition i11to a community, but a people wi1hout God, to shedim; the menning is rightly given o.nd not recognized by him as in co,·cnant in the margin of the Authorized Version, union with__ him (cf. Rom. x. 19; Eph. ii. "which were not Goel." To new gods that 12 : 1 Pet. n. 10). came newly up. The word rendered by Ver. 22.-(Cf. Jcr. xv. H; xvii. cl; Lam. "newly" (:ii,R) properly means " near; " iv. 11.) The lowest hell; the lo,cest sheol, it is o.n adjective both of placa and of the uttermost ,lepth of the un, ler-world. timo; here it is the latter, equal to of a The Hebrew sheol (,\,:;:;) answering to the neo.r time, recently-gods recently invented or discovered. G!'eek ¥B11r, by which it is usually renclered Ver. 18.-Moses here returns to the by the LXX., is a general d, si;;nation of the thought of ver. 15, for the purpose of ex- unseen state, the place of the dead. Dy pressing it with greater force, o.nd also of some the word is derived from S,:::-, to ask leading on to the llesoription he is about because sheol is ever asking, is -i~satiah!~ to give of the Lord's nets towards the (Prov. xxx. 16\: but more probaoly it is nation who bad so revolted from him. Thon from a root signifying to excavate, to h(/llow art unmindful; LXX.,i;,1<a-r,>.c1res: Vulgate, and, like the German holle. means primaril,: dereliquisti. The Hebrew word i"l'~ occurs a hollow place or cavern. The Divine wrnlh only here, and the meaning is doubtf~l. From kindles a consuming fire, that burns ,Jo«n the rendering of the versions, it would seem to the lowest depths-to the deepest part of sheo!-consumes the earth's produce, to be allied to the Aro.hie~. $aha, oblitus and sets on fire the foundations of the est. That formed thee; litero.lly, that brought mountains. This does not rct"tr to anv par- tliee forth or caused thee to be born; '' q ui te ticular juclgment tlmt wus to b"rufl the eduxit ex utero materno" (Jo.rchi. Cf. for national Israel, but is a general descriµtion the use of the verb, Ps. xxix. 9). In the of the effects of the Divine wrath when that is poured forth injutlgmenls on men. Samaritan Co<lex, 7',',m:i," who ho.th glorified Ver. 23.-I will spend mine arrJw, nuon or praised thee," is the rending, instead of them; I will inflict on them so many cala- 7',',no; and th:s the Syrio.o also expresses. mities that none shall remain. The evils The other versons, however, support the sent on men by Goel are represented as Masoretic reading. o.rrows shot on them from above. ( Cf. vcr. Vere. 19-33.-Because of their rebellion, 42: Job vi. 4; Ps. vii. 13; xu\·iii. 2; xiv. God would cast them off and visit them 5: hiii. 7; Zech. ix. B; Homer, 'Iliad,' i. with terrible cahlmities. 45, €tC.) • Ver. 19.-When the Lord saw how they Vers. 2-!, 25.-The evils threatened are had departed from him to servo idols, he famine, pestilence, plague, wild beasts, abhorred (rather, spurned or rej,ctea) them pQisonous reptiles, aml war. They shall bo in consequence of the provocation which burnt with hunger, etc.; render : Sucked out their unworthy condnct had given him. by hunger, consumed with pestilenti..a.J. beat, Ver. 20.-God himself comes forth to and bitter plague ; I will sand against them announce his resolution to withdraw his the tooth of beasts a.nd the poison of things favour from them, and to inflict chastise- tha.t oro.wl in the dust. When huu:;er, ment upon them: he would withdraw his pestilence, and conln;::ious disease ht1,I protecting co.re of them, nud see how they wustcd and exhauste,I them, theu God woul,l would fare without that: and ho would nlso send ou them wild bu,sts and poisonous semi on them the tokens of his displeasure. reptiles. Shall be burnt. The Hebrew wonl A very froward generation, eto.; litcrnlly, occurs only here: it is a verb,,! adjective, a general-ion of perversities, an uttel'ly per- mcanior, literally, sue/wt! out, i.e. utterly verse and failhless rnce. exhausted; L:S.X., T1JKo;,evo, >.1,1.1~. 1'uulh of Ver. 21.-(Cf. eh. v. 16.) Because they had beasts and poison of serpents; poetical for moved God to jealousy and provoked him to ravenous o.nd· poisonous animals (cf. Le~-.  G02 THE ROOK OF DEUTB!WNOMY. (err. n:m. 1-5?..