The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 491

xx_,-i. 22:. ShRII destroy; liternlly, ~ha17 male him, and so came under the power of tho cl11/rllr,.,. ,linll l,ercnve, viz. the land which is enemy. though! of n, n mothC'r whose children were Vci-. 31.-The heathen had nlso n rook iu dest.ro)·e,I. 'l'hP verb is here ~cnm p1·1rgnanti, ~-hil'l1 tl,ey trusted-their idol-gods; but shnll beienrn b)" dC'stroying, Ptc. (cf. l 8nm. even they knew and felt thnt their rock we.e n. 23; Lam. 1. 20; Jer. xviii. 21). not as the Rock of Israel, for, hnving often Yers. 26, 2i.-18rael's desert was to be experieuccd tho almighty power of God, utterly destroyen, but Go,! refrained from they could not but acknowledo-e thnt he this for his own Name's sake. I said, I wonld wo.s mightier for than the gods fvhom they BOe.ttcr them into oorners; rather, I sl101tld worshipped (cf. Exod. xiv. 25; Numb. ~ay, 1 ,rill l,lo,o them mcay, i.e. disperse xxxiii., xxxiv.; Josh. ii. 9 ; I So.m. v. 7). them n, by a mighty wind. The verb here Moses is here himself nge.iu the spenker. is the Hiph. of i7i:'E?, to breathe, to blow, and Ver. 32.-lf the Rock of Isr,lel we.e so is found only here. The rabbins make it much mightier than the rock of their a dcnominatirn from i7:<P., a corner, and this euemies, how cnme it tho.t Israel was beaten the Authorized Version follows; others trace and put to flight by their enemies? The it to an Arabic root, t-:~.i, amput.ai-it, euidit, reason is here given: It wo.s been.use Ismel nnd render, '' will cut them off." The idea hnd become wholly corrupt and vitiated intend<'d to be conveyed is obviously thnt of thnt they were forsnken of the Lord e.nd left ectirc destruction, and this is not satisfied to the power of their enemies. Their vine; by tile representation of their being scared i.e. Israel itself (cf. Ps. lxxx. 9, etc.; Isa.. v. or drirnn into corners. Were it not that 2 ; J er. ii. 21 ; Hos. x. I). The vine of Sodom. I feared the wrath of the enemy. Various It has been supposed tha, there is reference renderings 1rnd interpreto.tious of this pas- here to a particular plo.nt, and different sage haYe been given. I. Were it not that plant.s he.ve been suggested as deserving to I feared the provocation of the enemy, i.e. be so named. But it is more probo.ble that that I should be proYoked to wrath by the Sodom and Gomorrah are here advanced as enemy ascribing the destruction of Israel to types of what is depraved, and to the moral their own prowess. 2. Were it not that taste no.useous (cf. Isa.. i. 10; Jer. xxiii. 14). I feared a wmth upon the enemy, with much Ge.11 (cf. eh. xxi:x. 18). the same meaning. 3. Were it not that Ver. 33.-The wine of these g1:apes is I feared the fury of the enemy, i.e. against poison and venom. Dragons ; tannin Israel-feared lest the enemy should be en- (cf. Exod. vii. 9, 10). Cmel [deadly] venom cournged to rise up age.inst Israel and of asps. The p_ethen, one of the most ascribe their dcstrnction to their own valour. poisonous of snakes, the bite of which wo.s Of these that most genere.lly approved is the immediately fatal (Kitto, ' Bibi. Cycl.,' iii, first. (On this reason for spo.ring Israel, see 494; Smith's • Diet.,' i. 21). These figures eh. ix. 28; Exod. xxxii 12; Numb. xiv. 13, express the thought that Isi-ael hnd utterly etc.; Iso.. x. 5, etc.; Ezek. xx.13, 14.) Should corrnpted their way and become abominable; behave themselves strangely; rather, should probably e.leo it is intimated that, o.s they mistal:e or falsely pretend. The Yerb is the had imitated the impiety of the inhabitants Piel of "1?;, to look upon, to mark, e.nd con- of Sodom e.nd Gomorrah, they deserved to veys the ideo. of looking on askance or perish e.s they did (J. H. Michaelis). prejudicially, hence being ignorant of, mis- Vera. 34-43.-Notwithste.nding the ini- taking, feigning, or falsely pretending. Our quity of Israel e.nd the judgments the.t hand is high ; rathei:, was high, i.e. was should come upon them, God would have mighty in power. compassion upon them for his Ne.me's sake, Vera. 28-33.-The ea.use of Israel's re- and would appear for their vindication jection was that they were e. people utterly and defence. 'l'he "this " in ver. 34 is by destitute of counsel and without under- some understood of the sinful doings of the derstanding. He.d they been wise, they Israelites which God should not forget or would have looked to the end, and acted in overlook. So the Targum of Onkelos: "Are u wav conducive to their own welfare, in- not all their works manifest before me, kept stead· of rushing upon ruin. against the day of judgment in my Ver. 29.--0h that they were wise, the.t treasures?" So also Calvin, "Quanqunm they U.llderetood this; rather, If they were . de pcenis hune versum quidam exponunt, wiee they would understand this. They would ac~i Deus e.ssereret di versas en.rum species consider their le.tter end ! i.e. the end to apud se paratas esse, quas deproma.t quoties which they were going, 1he inevitable issue Iibuei-i.t: rectius tamen est de sceleribus of tiie course they were taking. iutelligere." But there is a more compre- Yi:r. 30.-If Israel were wise, they could hensive reference here. Not only the deeds 1:asily overcome all their foes through the of the transgressors, but tile judgments thllt l,elfJ of the Almig-ilty (Lev. :u.vi. 8); but should come on Israel, e.nd also God's in- hurn,g forsaken him, they were left by terposition on their behalf, were laid up Olt. :U.Xlt. 1-52.] 'i'HE noolt 01!' DEUTERONOMY.