성경 주석서

Ver. 7. Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given, &c.— These words seem to be here inserted, 1. Merely by way of parenthesis, and as it were to bring back to the reader's view the present state of the tribe of Manasseh settled as well as the other on this side of the Jordan. 2. It may be a kind of introduction to what follows; namely, Joshua's blessing the children of Manasseh; for, from the manner in which the whole is worded, one would think that he blessed them separately.

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Ver. 8. Return with much riches, &c. and—divide the spoil—with your brethren— Nothing could be more just than this command; for, notwithstanding those who remained beyond Jordan had not shared in the dangers of the war, like those who had gone through it; yet they had during that period watched over the families of the latter, and defended their possessions against the inroads of their surrounding enemies. This seems to have been constantly the custom among the Israelites: those who were detached upon any military expedition gave the rest of the army a share of the booty they had taken from the enemy: the pagans acted in like manner. God himself enjoined this practice after the war against the Midianites. Those who fought kept half the spoil of the enemy, and gave the other half to the rest of the people. Probably the same proportion was observed upon this occasion: I mean, that the 40,000 fighting men of the Israelites who came from beyond Jordan, retained a moiety of the booty they had taken, and remitted the other moiety to be divided among those other fighting men of the two tribes and a half, who remained behind to guard the country; and who were 70,000 in number. David, on his return from pursuing the Amalekites, changed this custom into a law. 1 Samuel 30:24-25.

REFLECTIONS.—The auxiliary forces, supplied by the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, having fulfilled their engagement, are now dismissed by Joshua. And this,

1. With an honourable testimony to their obedience, patience, and piety. They had served him with as much fidelity as they obeyed Moses; they had waited, without offering or desiring to return, till the whole land was subdued, and the tribes divided to possess their inheritance; and they had kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord, not only in this instance of patient service, but also in their pious conduct in the camp. Note; (1.) The soldiers of Jesus Christ must object to no service that he enjoins them, but cheerfully and readily run at his bidding. (2.) Though our warfare be long, the faithful shall obtain an honourable dismission at death, to return to their eternal inheritance. (3.) Jesus, at the day of his appearing, will remember and own, to their eternal honour, the faithful services of his people.

2. He gives them a solemn charge (equally applicable to every spiritual Israelite) to keep up their religion at home, when they were separated by Jordan from the tabernacle in Shiloh. Take diligent heed (for our spiritual enemies are ever lying in wait to deceive) to do the commandment and the law of God; this is our constant rule of duty, and must be conscientiously obeyed; to love the Lord your God, without which no obedience can be acceptable, or indeed practicable; to walk in his ways, strait, holy, and self-denying as they are, and to cleave to him, amid all the temptations which surround us, and would turn us aside; and this with all your heart and soul. God's service requires a willing heart, and his work will never be done, unless it be our delight.

3. He adds his blessing to his advice; prays for their prosperity, and wishes them a safe and comfortable journey, and a happy meeting with their families. Where there is a good will, there will be a good wish; those whom we love, we shall pray for.

4. They return with all diligence; it was a long absence, and, no doubt, a happy meeting. Here below, business, war, voyages, separate the dearest relatives; but they are glad to get home in peace. How much hap-pier for the pilgrim soul, when his warfare of life is accomplished, to cross Jordan, and meet his brethren in glory, the family of God!

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Ver. 10. And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan— From the first reading of these words, one would conceive that the sacred writer means to say, that the Israelites built the altar, of which he proceeds to speak, on this side Jordan, before they had repassed the river; but, from what follows, we shall soon be convinced that this cannot be the sense of the historian. Had the Israelites of the two tribes and a half built an altar on the west side of the river, they would not have executed their own design, which was, to shew by this monument that, though separated from their brethren, and from the altar of the Lord, by Jordan, they still made but one and the same people with them. Besides, is it likely that they would have ventured to erect this pile upon the territory of the other tribes? And even were this the case, how, in the verse following, could the altar in question be said to have been built over-against the land of Canaan? we must, therefore, necessarily suppose the author to have expressed himself here in such brief terms as leave something to be made out by the reader. It was evidently his intention to say, that the Israelites, on their coming up to the bank of the Jordan on the side of the land of Canaan, crossed that river, and built the altar beyond it in their own country. See Josephus. Hist. Jud. lib. v. cap. 1. and Rabb. in Seder.—Olam. c. xii. p. 32. We may add, that the Hebrew Geliloth, rendered in our version borders, may very probably be in this verse the proper name of a place situate on the side of the Jordan. The Vulgate translates, on the heights of Jordan; but the Vatican manuscript of the LXX has it Gilead or Geliloth; understanding it of a place near that where the Israelites crossed over the Jordan. The question then is, where Geliloth stood: if we understand by it the country of Gilead, the whole is clear; and then the Israelites, without any doubt, reared the altar after having passed the river. Le Clerc understands the matter very naturally, namely, that the Israelites came to Jordan, which bounds the land of Canaan, and, having crossed it, built there (i.e. on the other side,) the altar in question. This altar, we read, was of a remarkable size; such as might be perceived from afar. It was the work, not of an individual, but of a whole body of people, who thought they could not build it too magnificently. It was a heap of earth or stones. Bacchus, Hercules, Semiramis, Cyrus, and Alexander the Great, in after times, made others like it upon various occasions, to eternize the memory of their victories and travels. See Pliny, lib. 6: cap. 16, 17. Philostrat. Vit. Apollon. lib. 2: ad fin. See also Calmet and Le Clerc. By the stateliness and magnificence of this altar, it was rendered so different from that which Moses had dedicated to divine worship, that it is probable these Israelites thought it would therefore administer less occasion to their brethren to suspect that it was intended for sacrifice, or to rival the other.

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Ver. 11. And the children of Israel, &c.— That is, those who were in the land of Canaan to the west of Jordan. This is a proof of the observation we just now made, that there are many things to be supplied in this narration; for the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, were no less children of Israel than the former. They were informed of the building of this altar, when finished; a certain proof that it had not been reared within their territories, in which case they would have seen and opposed them. The passage of the children of Israel is so called, either as being the part at which they entered into the land of Canaan, or by which they returned from thence: perhaps it was the place where the river was commonly crossed.

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Ver. 12. And—the whole congregation—gathered themselves together at Shiloh— That is, the elders and princes of the tribes came from their several cities thither to consult what, in consequence of this step of the two tribes and a half, was necessary to be done. On the first advice of the erection of so elevated an altar, the Israelites in general conceived that their brethren had abandoned the true religion. For, not to mention that the law forbad a plurality of altars, the prodigious height of the present denoted a monument dedicated to the pagan deities, for whose worship they were fond of the highest places, rather than one appropriated to the true God, who can as easily assist the most lowly, as those who are nearest the skies, and who had commanded that His altar should not exceed three cubits in height, and be without steps. See Deuteronomy 12:13 : Exodus 27:1; Exodus 20:26. The congregation at Shiloh, therefore, in the first emotions of its zeal, thought that the Israelites beyond Jordan were fallen into idolatry, either by devoting themselves to the worship of false gods, or by presuming to worship the Lord in another place and manner than he had appointed. Hereupon they consulted how it was necessary to act towards the supposed offenders; and the conclusion was, that they should proceed in strict conformity to the law of Moses; and that in case the 40,000 men had done as was presumed, it was necessary to go up to war against them, to avenge their insulted religion, and destroy them, as God had commanded, Deuteronomy 13:12; Deuteronomy 13:18. Many reflections might be drawn from this determination: we may boldly conclude, that it is not sufficient to have right intentions in what we undertake; but that in the execution of it, piety requires us to avoid, as much as possible, all appearance of evil. The 40,000 ought to have apprised the Israelites of Canaan of what they were about to do, and of their motive for so doing; their manner of proceeding could not but create disagreeable suspicions. But what noble sentiments did these suspicions produce in the hearts they animated! It is very pleasing to see the Israelites, scarcely delivered from the fatigues and dangers of so long a war, and but just beginning to taste the fruits of their conquests, determining immediately to resume arms, in obedience to the laws of their religion and commonwealth. An example of courage and zeal like this well deserves to be remarked.

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Ver. 17. Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, &c.— "Were not the abominable transgressions of which ye were guilty, respecting the idol of Peor, enough; and was it necessary, by adding sin to sin, to draw down fresh evils upon the nation, and shew yourselves to be so imperfectly cleansed, so badly cured of that fatal propensity to idolatry, which has already caused us so much affliction; though heaven has not yet punished us for the offence so highly as we deserve?" Phinehas, as we may see, supposes throughout, that the Israelites beyond Jordan had built altar against altar, with idolatrous views. To explain his mind, he recals the unhappy affair of Peor, which happened in the very country that had been assigned to these Israelites; that thus, after the zeal which he had displayed upon that occasion, his argument deduced therefrom might have the more peculiar weight.

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Ver. 19. Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean— This fully justifies the piety, disinterestedness, and benevolent intentions of Phinehas: he even himself seeks out some plausible pretence for the step against which he inveighs. He supposes, that the Israelites beyond the river may have thought their land would be defiled; that it would not be a holy land, consecrated to God, and under his protection, unless they beheld there some token of his presence, some sacred edifice, which might publicly signify that the Lord was their God. And on this charitable supposition, he addresses them thus: "Did not you rear this altar, as thinking that the country in which you dwell would be an impure and profane land, unless this monument supplied the presence of the tabernacle and altar of the Lord at Shiloh, from which the Jordan divides you? If this be the case, come back, repass the river, and partake with us of our possessions. We would rather put ourselves to straits, by receiving you among us, than see you deviate into schism and revolt against God."

Note; (1.) Many a heavy charge is sometimes brought, where there is the purest innocence; and this even by those who have zeal for God. (2.) They who have smarted for sin, dread the thoughts of renewing their provocations. (3.) They who desire to recover their brethren from schism, must show their charity towards them, and readiness to yield every thing that they lawfully may to a tender conscience, lest by unchristian violence the rent be made worse.

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Ver. 29. God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord, &c.— They conclude, as they began, by protesting in the most sacred manner before God, that they have an utter abhorrence of the very idea, of the least tendency to rebellion against Jehovah; or, as the Chaldee paraphrase, both here and in the foregoing verses, has it, against the word of the Lord. Thus ended the conference in behalf of the Israelites beyond Jordan: how admirable is the mildness with which their judicious apologist repels the most dreadful suspicions, and the most ignominious accusations! using for this purpose no offensive retort, over-bearing arrogance, or affronting language. Happy they who can imitate the amiable example, and have virtue enough never to oppose to the false judgments passed upon them, and the groundless accusations they undergo, aught but proofs demonstrative of their innocence, and of the unjust treatment they meet with! A closer attention to this maxim would often have spared Christians the shame of striving rather to rail at their adversaries, than to reclaim them by informing their understandings. See Divine Legat. vol. 4: p. 15, &c.

Note; (1.) We are to be careful not only to act simply before God, but to make our integrity appear before men. (2.) The perpetuating the means of grace to our posterity, is the best method we can take to secure them in the ways of God. (3.) They who neglect the ordinances of God's worship, will soon prove apostates from his truth.

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