the lo.Ucr ex plano.Uon !earns tho ono to ho Ver. 26.-There i8 none like unto the God preforrcd. 1'he preposition )'-? is constantly of Jesh11run. The points rmd accents rlircct usrd ns indico.ting the source whonce o.ny- tlrnt this should be rend, There is 11,,11, Uk-, thing. pr~ccorlH, or the o.gont hy whom God, 0 Jesh11rnn; and though all the nnyllnng 1s done. Let him be aooeptable to ancient versions read as cl()f)s the Anlho- his brethren; "iis o tcrrro sum proven tibus rized Version, the Masoretic pnnctnalio'1 rcs optimns euppcditnturus; er. Gen. xlix. is vinrlic~ted here l,y the following thy 20" (Rosonmiillet). Tliis tribo should find help, which shows that Israel is here ilsclf in so ndvnnlngeous ond luxurious n addressed. condition thot the ot!Jer tribea should hnvo Ver. 27.-God is the Reftige or Dwelling- c!elight nnd pleasure in H" (Knobel). Others place of Ids people, !heir Protection ,mi,! th" render, " fo.voured among his brethren ; " storms of life, and the unfailing Somcc of fo voured, tho.t is, by the Lord more tho.n comfort and blessing to them in their his brethren ( Keil), But the former seems pilgrimage state. Over them is his shelt~r- prefernble. And let him dip his foot in oil. ing protection, and underneath them the This points to n lnnd abounding in olives, support of his everlasting arms. and generally richly fertile, n fot land a.ad Ver. 28.-The clauses of tbfa verse are yielding rich dainties, such o.s Jo.cob pro- parallel to ea.eh other; their symmetry will mised to Asher (Gen. xlix. 20). Thy shoes be seen if we render and arrange thus- shall be iron and brass. The worJ rendered " And Israel dwelleth securely, "shoes" (',vi??) occurs only here. It is a Alone, the fonntain of Jacob, del"ivo.tive fr~~'!!/, to bolt or shut fnst, and On a land of corn and new wine; is to be to.ken in the sense of a fastness or His heavens also drop down dew." fortress, o place seourel y closed : iron and The fountain of Jacob is parallel to Israel. brass shall be thy fortress; i.e. his dwelling Israel is so designated because they came should be strong o.nd impregnl\ble. The forth from Jacob as waters from a copious rendering" shoes" is from a supposed deri- source (Ibn Ezra ; cf. Isa. x Iv ii i. 1 ; Ps. vo.tion of the word from 'JIJ, a shoe. As thy lxviii. 26). days, so shoJI thy strength-be; literally, as Ver. 29.-" This concluding verse compre- thy daye, thy rest ; i.o. a.a long a.a thou livest, hends the whole blessing. Israel is to he so long shnlt thou ho.ve rest and quiet. The congratulated and praised because, through noun rendered "strength" (tt?.'1) in the the true God, it has unparalleled protec- Authorized Version, occurs only here, unless tion, salvation, and trinmph" (Herxheimer). it be found in the proper name tt~7'1? (Me- Thine 11uemies shall be found liars unto thee ; deba), nnd hns no cognate in Hebrew; but litero.lly, shall feign unto thee ; i.e. shall pretend to be thy friends, in order to obtain the Arabic supplies a root for it in 4~ (deba), favour with thee. The verb conveys the to rest. Fiirst connects it with ::n, and the idea of fnwning upon a person with a feigned Targum with ttr), to flow, e.nd tran'slo.tes by humility and submissiveness (cf. Ps. xviii. 44; l:s:vi. 2; lxxxi. 15). Thou &halt tread "riches." upon their high plaoes; i.e. shalt wholly Vere. 26-29.-As Moses· commenced by subdue them o.nd triumph over them (cf. celebrating the glorious mo.jesty of Jehovah eh. xxxii. 13); " arces eorum in mon tibus when he appeared to establish his coveno.nt positas, loco. eorum inaccessa. victor co.lcabis, with Israel, so he concludes with n reference iis potieris; qua ipsa phrasi, Am. iv. 13, Mio. i. 3, superbe incedens victor descri- to God as the eterno.1 Refuge nnd the saving bitur" (Rosenmiiller). Help of his people.
HOMILETICS.
Vers. 1-5.-The general import of this paragraph is clear. Some of its phrases, l1owever, are far from being so easy tho.t we can bo quito sure of their meaning. (For a discussion of the point.s in dispute, see the Exposition; also Keil, Lange, and a work far too little known, Ilarrett's 'Syuopsis of Criticisms,' vol. i. pt. 2.) There is, however, quite enough that is sufficiently clear to furnish us with a topic for valuable pulpit teaching, albeit there may be, in this introductory parngraph anu between each blessing, indications of an editor's hand. The whole parngraph has reference to God's august manifestation of himself nt the delivery of the Law on Sinai. In it thero arc eight matters to be noted. 1, The new disclosure of God was as the rising of a bright light in the mi,lst uf the darkness (sec Gesenius, aub verb. n:,1 (zcili-ra'g1/), and all the uses of the verb in th MO TllE BOOK OF DEU'l'l!:l~ONOMY. [oil. xll.xm. 1-20,
Old Test11menl). 2. The beRms of the newly ri~en light flooded the region of Sin 111 Mount Paran, Rnd Mount Seir (ver. 2). 3. In the displays of his glory, Jehovah wa: nttended by ten thousands or his holy ones (ver. 2). 4. From Jehovah thus attended there went forth ll Law (ver. 2). 5. This Law thus given was the expression of Jehovah's love (ver. 3). 6. ~11. the holy ones (English Versi~n, "s_aints ") thus surrounding ,leho~ah, were at his disposal, to serve the people of his choice, ancl reverently waited for lns words of command (ver. 3). 7. The Law thus given in august majesty was the rich inheritance of the people ("er. 4). 8. On a people so honoured of God, the man of God is moved to utter a blessing, as his last act ere he quits the scene of toil for the realm of rest (ver. 1). The exposition and illustration of all this will furnish ChriRtian preachers and teachers in every age with abundance of material for th~ understanding heart, oonscience, and life. '