Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 5 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
1 A commandement to root out the seven nations in Canaan, 4 lest they corrupted Israel. 5 To abolish their idolatry. 6 The holinesse and election of Israel, whence it proceedeth, 9 and what use they should make thereof. 12 The blessings promised upon the keeping of the Law. 16 The commandement repeated, to abolish Idolaters and their religion. 17 A confirmation of the faith of Israel against the multitude of their enemies, 22 whom God promiseth to destroy, but not all at once. 25 The abomination of their idolatrie.
WHen Iehovah thy God shall have brought thee in, into the land whither thou goest in, to possesse it, and hath cast out many nations from thy face; the Chethite, and the Girgasite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Pherizzite, and the Evite, and the Iebusite; seven nations, greater and mightier than thou. And Iehovah thy God shall have delivered them before thee, and thou shalt smite them; utterly destroying thou shalt utterly destroy them: thou shalt not strike any covenant with them, nor shew them grace.
Neither shalt thou make mariages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his sonne, and his daughter thou shalt not take unto thy sonne. For hee will turne away thy sonne from after me, that they may serve other gods; and the anger of Iehovah will be kindled against you, and will destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall yee doe unto them; yee shall destroy their altars, and breake downe their pillars, and cut downe their groves; and their graven Images yee shall burne with fire. For thou art an holy people unto Iehovah thy God: Iehovah thy God hath chosen thee to bee unto him a peculiar people, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. Not for your multitude above all peoples did Iehovah set his love upon you, and chose you, for ye were the fewest of all peoples. But because Iehovah loved you, and because hee would keepe the oath which he had sworne unto your fathers, hath Iehovah brought you out with a strong hand, and hath redeemed thee out of the house of servants, out of the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that Iehovah thy God, hee is God, the faithfull God, that keepeth covenant and mercy to them that love him, & that keepe his commandements, to the thousand generation. And repayeth them that hate him unto his face, to destroy him: hee will not delay to him that hateth him, unto his face he will repay him. Therefore thou shalt keepe the commandement, and the statutes, and the judgments which I command thee this day, to doe them.
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And it shall be, because yee shall hearken to these judgments, and shall keepe and doe them, that Iehovah thy God will keepe unto thee the covenant, and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers. And hee will love thee, and will blesse thee, and multiply thee: and he will blesse the fruit of thy wombe, and the fruit of thy land, thy corne, and thy new wine, and thy new oyle, the increase of thy kine, and the flockes of thy sheepe, upon the land which hee sware unto thy fathers to give unto thee. Blessed shalt thou be above all peoples: there shall not be a barren male, or a barren female, among thee, or among thy cattell. And Iehovah will take away from thee all sicknesse, and all the evill diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, hee will not put upon thee, but will lay them upon all that hate thee. And thou shalt cat up all the peoples which Iehovah thy God giveth unto thee; thine eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve their gods, for that will be a snare unto thee. If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are moe than I, how shall I be able to dispossesse them? Thou shalt not bee afraid of them: remembring thou shalt remember that wch Iehovah thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt. The great tentations which thine eye saw, and the signes, and the wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched-out arme, with wch Iehovah thy God brought thee out: so will Iehovah thy God do unto all peoples, of whose faces thou art afraid. And also Iehovah thy God will send the hornet among them. untill they perish that are left, and that hide themselves from thy face. Thou shalt not be affrighted at their faces: for Iehovah thy God … the midst of thee, a great God, & a fearful.
And Iehovah thy God will plucke out these nations from thy face, by little and little: thou shalt not be able to consume them suddenly, lest the wilde beasts of the field multiply upon thee. But Iehovah thy God will deliver thē before thy face, and will destroy them with a great destruction, untill they be wasted out.
And hee will deliver their Kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under the heavens: there shall not a man stand before thy face, untill thou have wasted them out. The graven images of their gods shall yee burne with fire; thou shalt not desire the silver and gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, left thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to Iehovah thy God. And thou shalt not bring an abomination unto thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: detesting, thou shalt detest it, and abhorring, thou shalt abhorre it, for it is a cursed thing.
Annotations.
CHethite] that is, as the Chaldee explaines them; Chethites; G… g…site…, &c. See the notes …. 10. 16. Here Moses shewe… … her … whereby Is… might be draw… from the love and …diente of God; even by communi… …h …dolaters, and their abomi…qtions, which therefore they ought carefully to avoyd …] that … Paul also mentioneth in Act. 1…. 19. in rehearsing them, the Scripture sometime …h …o… … fewer, Gen. 15. 19. E…d. 23 l 23. … a f…ll and perfect number Ase… …. …. … signifieth the many enemies of … Church, … God will subdue, though they … migh… …, for his strength is made perfect … 2 Cor. 12. 9.
Vers. 2. before thee] that is, as the G…ke explai… here, and in ve…. …3. into th… …ds. So in D…. 23. 14. … utt…r …y destroy] as ac…rs…d, or ana…zed▪ see the notes on Exod. …. …. Com… with this Law, Exod. 34. 11, 1…, &c.
Vers. 3. make mariages] or, …oyne in affinitie, by … of …ge: and this concerned not the seven … onelyonly, but all heathens, E…r. 9▪ 1. …2. The Hebrewes say, An Israel…te that ly…t… …th an … of any other nation, by way of …; or … Is… …sse that so lyeth with … …athen man they … …e b…en by the Law. Deut. 7. 5. whether it … of the seven nations, or of any other peoples, it is … prohibition. And so it is expounded by Ezra, &c. Maimony in, Issurei biah, chap. 12. sect. 1.
Vers. 4. from after me] that is, from following me and my Law. The G…eke translateth, from me▪ the Chaldee, from after my feare. other gods] the Chaldee explaines it, the idols of the peoples. This was fulfilled even in Solomon the wise, who clave in love unto strange women, and they turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, 1. King. 11. 2. 4. will be kindled] so it was against Solomon for this sinne, the LORD was angry with him; because his heart was turned from the LORD; the God of Israel. …. King. 11. 9.
Vers. 5. pillars] or, statues, or standing images: see Exod. 23. 24. and Levit. 26. 1. This Law was executed by the good Kings of Iudah, 2 King. 18. 4. and 23. 6.—14. gro…] or, trees planted for religious use, whereof see the notes on Exod. 34. 13. here they are commanded to be … downe, in Deut. 12. 3. to be burnt with fire. The Hebrewes say, A tree which is planted at the first to be served (or worshipped) is unlawful for any use, and that is Asherah (the grove) spoken of in the Law. If it were not planted for religious use at the first, but that afterward some man had worshipped it, though all the body (or stock) be not unlawful; al the boughes, and the leaves▪ and the branches, and the fruits …hat it bringeth forth all the while that it is worshipped, they are unlawfull for any use. A tree under which they have se… upon idol, all the while that it … under it, (the trge.) … unlawfull for any use▪ if (the Idoll) …e taken from under it, then it is lawfull, because it was not the tr… it selfe which was worshipped. M…. in treat of Idolot…ie, …ap. 8. sect. 3. 4. … images] to wit… …, as is expressed in …s. 25.
Vers. 6. …] … Chaldee translateth it be… pro… is … treasure …, which is d… to any see Exod. 19. …. This space proceeding from … of God, … …lled in Christ, Who ga… himselfe … us▪ that hee … himselfe a peo… people … of good work…; …. … ▪
Vers. 7. … his love] o… … …. … ….
Vers. 8. the oath] Gods irrevoca…e promise, (proceeding from …grace) of which there is often … that by two immu…able things in which it was impossible for God …o … …ee might … a strong consolation, Heb. 6. 17, 18. ser…] in Greeke and Chaldee, ser…, o… bo…. A figure of our deliverance from these … of …nne, and of men, Ioh. 8. 34. 36. …. 6. 14. 16, … 20. 1 Gor. 7. … 3.
Vers. 9. Know therefore] Hebr. And thou shalt know: so in v. 11: See the notes on Gen. 31. 44. that love him] see the notes on Exod. 20. 6. VntoUnto this promise Daniel hath respect in his praier, Dan. 9. 4. and Nehemiah, Neh. 1. 5.
Vers. 10. his face] that is, the face of every of them. So after, to destroy him, that is, every one of them: therefore the Greeke translateth plurally, them. The Chaldee saith, In their life (time) hee will repay them. Chazkuni likewise and others expound it, In his life time. And so it is said, Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner, Prov. 11. 31. A like phrase there is of recompensing the wicked into their bosome, Esay 65. 6. not delay] that is, not faile, See the notes on Exod. 22. 29. will repay him] or, recompense, reward him, to wit, with vengeance or punishment, as these are joyned together in Deut. 32. 35, 41. and it is called paiment or reward, because it shall be according to mans worke, Iob 34. 11. Psal. 62. 13.
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Here beginneth the 46 Section of the Law: whereof see Gen. 6. 9.
Vers. 12. because] the Greeke translateth it, when … it implieth a reward of their obedience, which God of his grace will give: as in Gen. 22. …8. And the originall word sometime is used for a reward, as Psal. 19. 12. sometime it signifieth for, or, because of, Esay 5. 23. these] the Greeke addeth, all these; which is intended as the like phrase in Deut. 27. 2…. is opened by the Apostle, Gal. 3. 10. And under the name judgements, the commandements and statutes are also contained. keepe unto the…] understand againe, keep & doe, (that is, performe) unto thee. Here by promises of communicating good things, and turning away evill, hee exciteth them unto obedience: for godlinesse is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to some, …. Tim. 4. 8. s… unto thy fathers] The oath and promise unto the fathers, pertaineth unto the faithfull children, which are all implied in the covenant, Psal. 105. 8. 11. Luk. …5. 72, 73, 74. Act. 3. 25, 26. Gal. 3. 29. So punishment remaineth for the wicked, from the parents to the children, for God recompenseth the iniquity of the fathers, into the bosome of their children after them, ser. 32. …8.
Vers. 13. love thee] that is, continue to love thee; for the love of God to his people, was the cause why hee chose and called them, …. 7, 8. not that we loved God; but that hee loved us, 1 Iob. 4. 10. and from the feeling of this in our hearts, proceedeth our love towards God; and out of love obedience; and so God continueth his love, which is the fountaine of all blessings. So Christ faith, Hee that hath my commandements; and keepeth them, is hee that loveth mee: and he that loveth mee, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will shew my selfe unto him, Iob. 14. …. fruit of thy wombe] in Chaldee, the childe of thy bowels: so in Deut. 28. 4. The just man walking in his integrity, his children are blessed after him, Prov. 20. 7. increase] or, young, as Exod. 13. 12. the Greeke and Chaldee here translate, herds of thy kine.
Vers. 14. barren male] the Greeke translateth, without seed (or generation) compare this with Ex. 23. 26. Hereupon barrennesse was a reproach, Luk. 1. 25. and fruitfulnesse counted a blessing, Psalm. 128. 1, 3.
Vers. 15. evill diseases] that is, painefull, malignant, and incurable diseases, as Deut. 28. 27. Compare Exod. 15. 26. and 23. 25. lay] Hebrew, give: that is, lay, or, impose, as the Greeke translateth.
Vers. 16. eat up] that is, as the Chaldee translateth it, consume: But the word, eat, hath respect unto that in Num. 14. 9. they are bread for us. See also Psal. 14. 4. This is not onelyonly a promise of victory, but a precept also, to abolish those cursed nations, as the words following manifest, and v. 1, 2, 3. spare] to wit, from vengeance, not take pitty on them. This affection is often given to the eye, (as in other cases, Matt. 20. 15.) See Gen. 45. 20. Deut. 13. 8. Ezek. 5. 11. snare] a cause of thy ruine: the Chaldee faith, a scandall, or stumbling-blocke: so after in v. 25. See Exod. 23. 33. and the performance hereof mentioned in Psal. 106. 36. they served their Idols, which were a snare unto them.
Vers. 17. dispossesse them] or, as the Chaldee translateth, cast them out; in Greeke, destroy them. These words of God tend to the strengthening of faith, against the feares and infirmities of the Saints, and power of their enemies. Compare Num. 13. 32.—34.
Vers. 18. Egypt] or, the Egyptians, as both Greeke and Chaldee doe translate. This example is often mentioned for the comfort of faith, Deut. 4. 34. &c. and 29. 2, 3. for it was a manifestation both of the power of God, and of his good will towards his people.
Vers. 19. tentations] or, trialls, essaies: see Deut. 4. 34. and 29. 3.
Vers. 20. the hornet] or, hornets, as the Greeke translateth. As God by frogs, lice, and other creatures, plagued the Egyptians, Exod. 8. so did he the Canaanites with hornets, Ios. 24. 12. shewing his power in confounding mighty enemies by small and weake meanes, 1 Cor. 1. 27, 28. Hereby also the pricks and terrours of conscience sent upon the wicked, may fitly bee signified. So in Exod. 23. 28. from thy face] the Greeke translateth, from thee: so it is referred to the latter word hide, rather than to the former, perish.
Vers. 21. fearefull] or, terrible; in Greeke, strong, that is, able to save thee, terrible to thine enemies, (as 1 Sam. 4. 7. 8.) and unto thee fearefull and to be reverenced, Psal. 89. 7.
Vers. 22. by little] This was accomplished, when some could not at the first bee driven out, Ios. 15. 63. Iudg. 3. 1. suddenly, or, hastily, quickly, that is, at once, but by degrees. Yet in Deut. 9. 3. hee promiseth that they should destroy them suddenly, to wit, in respect of their enemies, … whom sudden destruction come … they … aware… but in respect of Israel, it was not so … as they looked for and desired. For God foresaw their infirmities, and how they would sin against him, if they were not exercised with troubles: yea, and for their sinnes it is observed, that he would not drive out the nations, that through them hee might prov…, whether they would keepe the way of the Lord, &c. Therefore the Lord … nations, … hauehave …ing them … hast…ly, … delivered hee them into the hand of Ioshua, …. 21, 22, 23. beasts] Hebr. beast. Here the Greeke addeth, lest the land be wildernesse, and the … beasts of the field multiply: God could also have destroyed the wild be…sts from before them (as … promiseth in L…v…. 26. 6. Ezek. 34. 25.) but if Israel had suddenly destroyed the peoples, pride, or security, or other vices would have crept upon them, which God in justice must also have punished… Iudg. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Vers. 23. destroy] or, vex, with … and tumult: see Deut. 2. 15. and 2…. 20. Exod. 14. 24. It implieth troubles and vexations, which should cause their destruction. So the promise of God should certainly be performed, though not so speedily as men desired, that their faith and patience might be tried.
Vers. 24. their kings] as was fulfilled in Ios. 10. 24. and …2. 7. 9.—24. where one and thirty kings are …ed, whom Israel conquered. from under heaven] out of this world: the Greeke translateth, out of that place. This hath long since been accomplis…d; that now there is no memorie either of … Kings, or of any of those peoples on the earth.
Vers. 25. The graven images of their gods] in Chaldee, The Images of their Idols: under the name …, all other sorts are implyed, as images mol… painted, or the like, Esay 30. 22. And by saying, of their gods, he excepteth other Images for civill use, as the Image of Caesar upon his coine …wfull, Matt. 22. 20, 21. The Hebrewes say, Figures (or Images) which idolatrous heathens … beauty (or civill ornament) are lawfull to … but figures which they make for Idolatry, …full. Maimony treat of Idolatry, chap. 7. … burne] so David burnt the Philistines … Chron. 14. 12. See Deut. 12. 3. silver … these are named for an instance, but all o… …ous instruments are implyed, covering, …, &c. Esay 30. 22. nor take it] Hebr. … …ke it, that is, and not take it: the former pro… is here againe to bee understood, as in the verse following, and often in the Scriptures. … be snared] that thou bee not snared; this …t often implieth certaine danger, as is no… … Gen. 3. 3. and by snared, is meant falling into sinne, and so into destruction, as before in ver. 16. an abomination to Iehovah] Hebr. the ab…tion of Iehovah, that is, a thing which the Lord much abhorreth. And this is another reason of the prohibition.
Vers. 26. into thine house] for any use or profit to thy selfe; and so from these words the Hebrewes gather, that The Idoll, and things that serve it, and that which is offered thereto, and whatsoever is made for it, is unlawfull for any use. Maimony treat. of Idolatrie, chap. 7. sect. 2. lest thou be] Hebr. and thou bee a cursed thing: meaning, and that thou be not, or, lest thou be: See the notes on Numb. 4. 15. or, for so thou shalt be a cursed thing, like it. it is a cursed thing] in Hebr. Cherem, in Greek, Anathe…a; which meane a thing separated from mens use, and devoted either to destruction, as the Idoll and instruments therof here mentioned; or, at the Lords appointment to be caried into his treasury, as were the gods of Iericho, Ios. 6. 17, 19, 24. This law against idols & images, which are the worke of mens hands, Psal. 115. 4. extendeth not to the creatures of Gods making, though by men abused to idolatry, as the Hebrews also expound it, saying; Whatsoever hath not beene taken by mans hand, and which man hath not made, though it hath beene worshipped, yet is it lawfull to have use of it. Therefore the beathens that served (or worshipped) the mountains, and the hills, and the trees that were planted at first for fruit, and fountaines of water, that are common, and beasts; loe these are lawfull to be made use of, and it is lawfull to eat of those fruits which were worshipped in the place where they grew, and of those beasts, &c. A beast is not unlawful, so long as a man hath not done with it any worke pertaining to idolatry; but if hee have done any (such worke therewith) it is unlawfull every whit: as if hee kill it to the service of an Idoll, or exchange it, &c. provided that it be his owne beast [and not another mans:] for if he kill his neighbours beast to an Idoll, or exchange it, it is not made unlawfull: for no man can make a thing unlawfull which is not his owne. If one worship any ground in the world, it is not made unlawfull: if he dig pits or caves therein, to the name of an idoll, they are unlawfull, &c. Maimony treat. of Idolatry, chap. 8. sect. 1.