7 `Remember -- do not forget -- that `with' which thou hast made Jehovah thy God wroth in the wilderness; even from the day that thou hast come out of the land of Egypt till your coming in unto this place rebels ye have been with Jehovah;
for I -- I have known thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; lo, in my being yet alive with you to-day, rebellious ye have been with Jehovah, and also surely after my death.
and they call for the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people eat, and bow themselves to their gods,
And the rabble who `are' in its midst have lusted greatly, and the sons of Israel also turn back and weep, and say, `Who doth give us flesh?
and the people strive with Moses, and say, `Give us water, and we drink.' And Moses saith to them, `What? -- ye strive with me, what? -- ye try Jehovah?'
And they say unto Moses, `Because there are no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in a wilderness? what is this thou hast done to us -- to bring us out from Egypt?
And ye have remembered your ways that `are' evil, And your doings that `are' not good, And have been loathsome in your own faces, For your iniquities, and for your abominations.
who before was speaking evil, and persecuting, and insulting, but I found kindness, because, being ignorant, I did `it' in unbelief, and exceedingly abound did the grace of our Lord, with faith and love that `is' in Christ Jesus: stedfast `is' the word, and of all acceptation worthy, that Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners -- first of whom I am;
Wherefore, remember, that ye `were' once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands,
for I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I did persecute the assembly of God,
And all the company lifteth up and give forth their voice, and the people weep during that night; and all the sons of Israel murmur against Moses, and against Aaron, and all the company say unto them, `O that we had died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness, O that we had died! and why is Jehovah bringing us in unto this land to fall by the sword? our wives and our infants are become a prey; is it not good for us to turn back to Egypt?' And they say one unto another, `Let us appoint a head, and turn back to Egypt.' And Moses falleth -- Aaron also -- on their faces, before all the assembly of the company of the sons of Israel. And Joshua son of Nun, and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those spying the land, have rent their garments, and they speak unto all the company of the sons of Israel, saying, `The land into which we have passed over to spy it, `is' a very very good land; if Jehovah hath delighted in us, then He hath brought us in unto this land, and hath given it to us, a land which is flowing with milk and honey; only, against Jehovah rebel not ye: and ye, fear not ye the people of the land, for our bread they `are'; their defence hath turned aside from off them, and Jehovah `is' with us; fear them not.' And all the company say to stone them with stones, and the honour of Jehovah hath appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the sons of Israel.
And ye have remembered there your ways, And all your doings, In which ye have been defiled, And ye have been loathsome in your own faces, For all your evils that ye have done.
And thou hast remembered thy ways, And thou hast been ashamed, In thy receiving thy sisters -- Thine elder with thy younger, And I have given them to thee for daughters, And not by thy covenant. And I -- I have established My covenant with thee, And thou hast known that I `am' Jehovah. So that thou dost remember, And thou hast been ashamed, And there is not to thee any more an opening of the mouth because of thy shame, In My receiving atonement for thee, For all that thou hast done, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'
Harden not your heart as `in' Meribah, As `in' the day of Massah in the wilderness, Where your fathers have tried Me, Have proved Me, yea, have seen My work. Forty years I am weary of the generation, And I say, `A people erring in heart -- they! And they have not known My ways:' Where I sware in Mine anger, `If they come in unto My rest -- !'
And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God `is' its spirit. Sons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict. They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk, And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them. Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- the field of Zoan. He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap. And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire. He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep. And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers. And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place. And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust. And they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?' Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also -- bread `is' He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?' Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel, For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation. And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened. And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them. Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety. He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind, And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas -- winged fowl, And causeth `it' to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles. And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them. They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet `is' their food in their mouth, And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend. With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders. And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble. If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly, And they remember that God `is' their rock, And God Most High their redeemer. And -- they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him, And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant. And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury. And He remembereth that they `are' flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not. How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place? Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited. They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary. When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan, And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not. He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them, And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust. He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost, And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames. He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers. He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up. And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham. And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness, And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered. And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got, And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents, And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept. And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow, And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous, God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel. And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men, And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary, And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry. His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised. His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not. And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine. And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them, And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed. And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved, And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age. And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock, From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance. And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
`And they and our fathers have acted proudly, and harden their neck, and have not hearkened unto Thy commands, yea, they refuse to hearken, and have not remembered Thy wonders that Thou hast done with them, and harden their neck and appoint a head, to turn back to their service, in their rebellion; and Thou `art' a God of pardons, gracious, and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and hast not forsaken them. `Also, when they have made to themselves a molten calf, and say, this `is' thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt, and do great despisings,
and thou hast remembered all the way which Jehovah thy God hath caused thee to go these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble thee to try thee, to know that which `is' in thy heart, whether thou dost keep His commands or not.
And there hath been no water for the company, and they are assembled against Moses, and against Aaron, and the people strive with Moses, and speak, saying, `And oh that we had expired when our brethren expired before Jehovah! and why have ye brought in the assembly of Jehovah unto this wilderness to die there, we and our beasts? and why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place? no place of seed, and fig, and vine, and pomegranate; and water there is none to drink.
And Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, taketh both Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, and they rise up before Moses, with men of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty, princes of the company, called of the convention, men of name, and they are assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and say unto them, `Enough of you! for all the company -- all of them `are' holy, and in their midst `is' Jehovah; and wherefore do ye lift yourselves up above the assembly of Jehovah?' And Moses heareth, and falleth on his face, and he speaketh unto Korah, and unto all his company, saying, `Morning! -- and Jehovah is knowing those who are his, and him who is holy, and hath brought near unto Him; even him whom He doth fix on He bringeth near unto Him. This do: take to yourselves censers, Korah, and all his company, and put in them fire, and put on them perfume, before Jehovah to-morrow, and it hath been, the man whom Jehovah chooseth, he `is' the holy one; -- enough of you, sons of Levi.' And Moses saith unto Korah, `Hear ye, I pray you, sons of Levi; is it little to you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the company of Israel to bring you near unto Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Jehovah, and to stand before the company to serve them? -- yea, He doth bring thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee -- and ye have sought also the priesthood! Therefore, thou and all thy company who are met `are' against Jehovah; and Aaron, what `is' he, that ye murmur against him?' And Moses sendeth to call for Dathan and for Abiram sons of Eliab, and they say, `We do not come up; is it little that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to put us to death in a wilderness that thou also certainly makest thyself prince over us? Yea, unto a land flowing with milk and honey thou hast not brought us in, nor dost thou give to us an inheritance of field and vineyard; the eyes of these men dost thou pick out? we do not come up.' And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he saith unto Jehovah, `Turn not Thou unto their present; not one ass from them have I taken, nor have I afflicted one of them.' And Moses saith unto Korah, `Thou and all thy company, be ye before Jehovah, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow; and take ye each his censer, and ye have put on them perfume, and brought near before Jehovah, each his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; and thou and Aaron, each his censer.' And they take each his censer, and put on them fire, and lay on them perfume, and they stand at the opening of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. And Korah assembleth against them all the company unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and the honour of Jehovah is seen by all the company. And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, `Be ye separated from the midst of this company, and I consume them in a moment;' and they fall on their faces, and say, `God, God of the spirits of all flesh -- the one man sinneth, and against all the company Thou art wroth!' And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, `Speak unto the company, saying, Go ye up from round about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.' And Moses riseth, and goeth unto Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel go after him, and he speaketh unto the company, saying, `Turn aside, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and come not against anything that they have, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.' And they go up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, from round about, and Dathan, and Abiram have come out, standing at the opening of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their infants. And Moses saith, `By this ye do know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works, that `they are' not from my own heart; if according to the death of all men these die -- or the charge of all men is charged upon them -- Jehovah hath not sent me; and if a strange thing Jehovah do, and the ground hath opened her mouth and swallowed them, and all that they have, and they have gone down alive to Sheol -- then ye have known that these men have despised Jehovah.' And it cometh to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which `is' under them cleaveth, and the earth openeth her mouth, and swalloweth them, and their houses, and all the men who `are' for Korah, and all the goods, and they go down, they, and all that they have, alive to Sheol, and the earth closeth over them, and they perish from the midst of the assembly; and all Israel who `are' round about them have fled at their voice, for they said, `Lest the earth swallow us;' and fire hath come out from Jehovah, and consumeth the two hundred and fifty men bringing near the perfume.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Deuteronomy 9
Commentary on Deuteronomy 9 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 9
De 9:1-25. Moses Dissuades Them from the Opinion of Their Own Righteousness.
1. this day—means this time. The Israelites had reached the confines of the promised land, but were obliged, to their great mortification, to return. But now they certainly were to enter it. No obstacle could prevent their possession; neither the fortified defenses of the towns, nor the resistance of the gigantic inhabitants of whom they had received from the spies so formidable a description.
cities great and fenced up to heaven—Oriental cities generally cover a much greater space than those in Europe; for the houses often stand apart with gardens and fields intervening. They are almost all surrounded with walls built of burnt or sun-dried bricks, about forty feet in height. All classes in the East, but especially the nomad tribes, in their ignorance of engineering and artillery, would have abandoned in despair the idea of an assault on a walled town, which to-day would be demolished in a few hours.
4-6. Speak not thou in thine heart, … saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land—Moses takes special care to guard his countrymen against the vanity of supposing that their own merits had procured them the distinguished privilege. The Canaanites were a hopelessly corrupt race, and deserved extermination; but history relates many remarkable instances in which God punished corrupt and guilty nations by the instrumentality of other people as bad as themselves. It was not for the sake of the Israelites, but for His own sake, for the promise made to their pious ancestors, and in furtherance of high and comprehensive purposes of good to the world, that God was about to give them a grant of Canaan.
7. Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the Lord—To dislodge from their minds any presumptuous idea of their own righteousness, Moses rehearses their acts of disobedience and rebellion committed so frequently, and in circumstances of the most awful and impressive solemnity, that they had forfeited all claims to the favor of God. The candor and boldness with which he gave, and the patient submission with which the people bore, his recital of charges so discreditable to their national character, has often been appealed to as among the many evidences of the truth of this history.
8. Also in Horeb—rather, "even in Horeb," where it might have been expected they would have acted otherwise.
12-29. Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people … have corrupted themselves—With a view to humble them effectually, Moses proceeds to particularize some of the most atrocious instances of their infidelity. He begins with the impiety of the golden calf—an impiety which, while their miraculous emancipation from Egypt, the most stupendous displays of the Divine Majesty that were exhibited on the adjoining mount, and the recent ratification of the covenant by which they engaged to act as the people of God, were fresh in memory, indicated a degree of inconstancy or debasement almost incredible.
17. I took the two tables, … and broke them before your eyes—not in the heat of intemperate passion, but in righteous indignation, from zeal to vindicate the unsullied honor of God, and by the suggestion of His Spirit to intimate that the covenant had been broken, and the people excluded from the divine favor.
18. I fell down before the Lord—The sudden and painful reaction which this scene of pagan revelry produced on the mind of the pious and patriotic leader can be more easily imagined than described. Great and public sins call for seasons of extraordinary humiliation, and in his deep affliction for the awful apostasy, he seems to have held a miraculous fast as long as before.
20. The Lord was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him—By allowing himself to be overborne by the tide of popular clamor, Aaron became a partaker in the guilt of idolatry and would have suffered the penalty of his sinful compliance, had not the earnest intercession of Moses on his behalf prevailed.
21. I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount—that is, "the smitten rock" (El Leja) which was probably contiguous to, or a part of, Sinai. It is too seldom borne in mind that though the Israelites were supplied with water from this rock when they were stationed at Rephidim (Wady Feiran), there is nothing in the Scripture narrative which should lead us to suppose that the rock was in the immediate neighborhood of that place (see on Ex 17:5). The water on this smitten rock was probably the brook that descended from the mount. The water may have flowed at the distance of many miles from the rock, as the winter torrents do now through the wadies of Arabia-Petræa (Ps 78:15, 16). And the rock may have been smitten at such a height, and at a spot bearing such a relation to the Sinaitic valleys, as to furnish in this way supplies of water to the Israelites during the journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir and Kadesh-barnea (De 1:1, 2). On this supposition new light is, perhaps, cast on the figurative language of the apostle, when he speaks of "the rock following" the Israelites (1Co 10:4) [Wilson, Land of the Bible].
25. Thus I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first—After the enumeration of various acts of rebellion, he had mentioned the outbreak at Kadesh-barnea, which, on a superficial reading of this verse, would seem to have led Moses to a third and protracted season of humiliation. But on a comparison of this passage with Nu 14:5, the subject and language of this prayer show that only the second act of intercession (De 9:18) is now described in fuller detail.