A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd the Lord ſpake unto Moſes, ſaying, &c.]
In Deuteronomie it is ſaid that the people deſired that ſome might be ſent to ſearch the land. Thus therefore it was: When God had led his people from mount Horeb to Kadeſh-Barnea, through the great and terrible wilderneſſe, and they were come to the mountain of the Amorites, Moſes aſſembled the people, and encouraged them now to go up and take poſſeſſion of the land which God had promiſed them, Deut. 1. 20, 21. And I ſaid unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath ſet the land before thee, go up and poſſeſſe it, the people already, no doubt, through i…fidelity beginning to fear the event, deſire that firſt they might ſend ſome certain men not onelyonly to ſearch out the fertility and ſtrength of the land, but alſo to take knowledge of the wayes and paſſages, rivers, fords and mountains, by which they were to go, ver. 22. Moſes, not knowing their diſtruſtfull hearts, likes well the motion, verſ. 23. and conſulted with God, who thereupon returned this anſwer here ſet down, yielding or giving way to their motion, but in diſpleaſure, for their greater hurt, and that no queſtion becauſe of their preſent infidelity; and appointing them to ſend men that might ſearch the land of Canaan, even the land which God before had ſpied for them, Ezek. 20. 6. and ſearched out, Deut. 1. 33.
Verſ. 2. Of every tribe of their fathers ſhall ye ſend a man, every one a ruler among them.]
There was one ſent of every tribe, that every tribe might be ſatisfied by a witneſſe of their own; and all Princes in their tribe, as moſt likely to be courageous, and that their teſtimony might be of more credit; not of the baſer ſort, becauſe the buſineſſe was weighty.
Verſ. 6. Caleb the ſonne of Jephunneh.]
His name ſignifieth hearty, and he brought Moſes word again as it was in his heart, Joſh. 14. 7.
Verſ. 11. Of the tribe of Joſeph, namely of the tribe of Manaſſeh.]
Why is this clauſe prefixt before the tribe of Manaſſeh rather then Ephraim? either becauſe Manaſſeh was Joſephs firſt-born, or rather onelyonly as a hint of that priviledge which Joſeph had: and ſo it is no more then if he had ſaid, of that tribe which came of Joſephs other ſonne, namely of Manaſſeh, you ſhall ſend Gaddi the ſonne of Suſi.
Verſ. 16. And Moſes called Oſhea the ſonne of Nun, Jehoſhua.]
This name Jehoſhua is elſewhere ordinarily written Joſhua, and ſometimes Jeſhua, as Neh. 8. 17. and in Greek Jeſus, as Acts 7. 45. where Stephen ſaith that the tabernacle of witneſſe, made in the wilderneſſe, their fathers that came after brought in with Jeſus into the poſſeſſion of the Gentiles; and Heb. 4. 8. If Jeſus, that is, Joſhua, had given them rest, then would he not afterward have ſpoken of another day; and Jeſus we know ſignifieth a Saviour Matth. 1. 21. Thou ſhalt call his name Jeſus (ſaith the Angel to Joſeph concerning Chriſt, the ſonne of the virgin Mary) for he ſhall ſave his people from their ſinnes: ſo that evident it is that this faithfull ſervant of God, who afterwards ſucceeded Moſes in the government of Iſrael, and was now one of the ſpies ſent to ſearch the land of Canaan, was called Jehoſhua or Joſhua by Moſes, to ſignifie that he ſhould ſave his people from their enemies, the Canaanites, and bring them into the promiſed land, and ſhould therein be a notable type of Chriſt, the onelyonly Saviour of the world. But, may ſome ſay, Oſhea, which was his former name, doth alſo ſignifie a Saviour; and why then was his name changed? I anſwer many reaſons are given for this by Expoſitours, but the moſt probable is this, that by adding Jah, which is the proper name of God, Pſal. 68. 4. contracted of Jehova; or as ſome think by adding the firſt letter of Jehova, to Oſhea, ſo to make his name Jehoſhua, thereby was ſignified that he ſhould not onelyonly be a Saviour, but alſo the Lords Saviour, implying that he ſhould by authority from God, and by the help and aſſiſtance of God, be the Saviour of his people, and therein alſo the more manifeſtly a type of Chri…t, who is the Lords anointed, and the Lord our righteouſneſſe, Jer. 23. 6. When his name was thus changed, it is not expreſſed: onelyonly we ſee that he is called Joſhua in the ſtory of Moſes before this, to wit, at the …ight which he had with the Amalekites, Exodus 17. 9.
Verſ. 17. Get you up this way South-ward, &c.]
Or by the South, meaning the South part of the land of Canaan, which was neareſt to them.
Verſ. 21. So they went up, and ſearched the land, &c.]
It may be probably thought that they went not all together, but divided themſelves; for going all together, they would have been ſuſpected, neither could they have viewed the whole countrey in ſo ſhort a time: and ſo they went quite through the land from one end to the other, that is, from the South to the North; for ſo much is implyed in theſe words, ſo they went up and ſearched the land from the wilderneſſe of Zin, &c. for the wilderneſſe of Zin here ſpoken of, is not the wilderneſſe of Sin, that bordered upon Egypt, Exod. 16. 1. but a wilderneſſe called by a name much like, the wilderneſſe of Zin, which lay on the South of the land of Canaan, Numb. 34. 3. Joſhua 15. 3. and Rehob and Hamath are cities that were on the utmoſt North part of the land, onelyonly Rehob lay more towards the Weſt-ſide of the land, and Hamath towards the Ea…-ſide; and therefore it is ſaid that they ſearched the land unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath, becauſe being come to Rehob they ſtruck over Eaſt-ward from Rehob to Hamath, or becauſe they ſearched all that Northern tract as men uſually go from Rehob to Hamath.
Verſ. 22. And they aſcended by the South and came unto Hebron, where Ahiman, &c.]
Having in the former verſe generally related how the ſpies ſearched the land quite through from the South to the North, and from the Weſt to the Eaſt, here Moſes undertakes to relate …ome particular paſſages that were moſt memorable either in their going out or coming back again, and ſo ſhewing how they went up by the South (for there they entred the land) he tells us how they came to Hebron, a citie in the South parts of Canaan, where Abraham and Iſaac and Jacob with their wives were buried, and there they ſaw certain huge giants, Ahiman, Sheſui, and Talmai, who were afterwards expelled thence, and ſlain by Caleb, Joſh. 15. 14. and are here called the children of Anak, ether becauſe they were indeed his ſon…es (which ſeems moſt probable, becauſe it is ſaid, Joſh. 15. 13. that Arbah, from whom Hebron was called Kiriath-arbah, or, the citie of Arbah, was the father of Anak; or elſe becauſe all giants were in thoſe times called the children of Ana….
Now Hebron was built ſeven years before Zoan in Egypt.]
This declareth not onelyonly the antiquity of Hebron, but alſo by conſequence the goodneſſe of the land.
Verſ. 23. And they came unto the brook of Eſhc…l, and cut down thence a branch with one cluſter of grapes, &c.]
Of admirable bigneſſe, which therefore they brought upon a ſtaff betwixt two, that it might not be marred in the bringing.
Verſ. 26. And they went and came to Moſes, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Iſrael unto the wilderneſſe of Paran, to Kadeſh.]
There was a city of the Edomites called Kadeſh, chap. 20. 16. from whence the wilderneſſe by it was called the wilderneſſe of Kadeſh, Pſal. 29. 8. But this was another Kadeſh, called uſually Kadeſh-Barnea, Deut. 1. 29. and Rithma, Numb. 33. 18. That Kadeſh upon the borders of Edom was in the deſert of Zin, chap. 10. 1. this was in the wilderneſſe of Paran: The next ſtation after they went from that Kadeſh was mount Hor, where Aaron dyed, and that was in the fourtieth year after the Iſraelites came out of Egypt, chap. 33. 37, 38. but from this Kadeſh they were appointed to turn back towards the red ſea, chap. 14. 25. becauſe they refuſed to enter the land of Canaan, and thereupon as God had threatned did wander eight and thirty years in the wilderneſſe, Deut. 2. 14. So that it is evident that this Kadeſh, whither the ſpies returned, was not that Kadeſh upon the borders of Edom, but another that was cloſe upon the South parts of Canaan, where Moſes and the congregation had ſtayed for them all the while they were ſearch…ng the land.
Verſ. 29. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South, &c.]
This their reckoning up of ſo many mighty nations with whom they muſt look to grappel, was purpoſely added to diſcourage the people from entring the land. As for the Amalekites, though they were not of the nations that inhabited the land of Canaan, yet the ſpies firſt mention them, becauſe they border…d in the South parts cloſe upon the land of Canaan, where the Iſraelites were to enter, and ſo were likely to come forth againſt them, and to withſtand them with all their power: which they might the rather think becauſe the year before, at their firſt coming out of Egypt, this nation had drawn out ſome forces againſt them to withſtand them in their paſſage through the wilderneſſe, and had there fought with them.
And the Canaanites dwell by the ſea, and by the coaſt of Jordan.]
The ſea here intended was not the mid-land ſea, which was on the Weſt of Canaan; but the dead ſea, which lay on the Eaſt of Canaan, where the river Jordan ran into it, as we may well conceive by that which ſeems moſt probable to be the drift of theſe words, to wit, that as they had told the people▪ in the former words, of the Amalekites dwelling upon the South of Canaan, and the Hittites & Jebuſites & Amor…tes dwelling in the mountains, that is, thoſe mountains in the South of the land nigh unto the wilderneſſe where the Iſraelites now lay, thereby intending to let the people ſee that there would be no entring the land on the South, becauſe of thoſe mighty nations that would be there ready to oppoſe them (as indeed it is ſaid, Deut. 1. 44. that when afte…wards the Iſraelites would needs go up againſt Gods expreſſe command, The Amorites which dwelt in the mou…ains …ame out against them, and chaſed them as bees do) ſo in theſe words, the Canaanites dwell by the ſea and by the coast of Jordan, they intended further to ſhew the people that in caſe they ſhould think to fetch a compaſſe about, and to enter into the Eaſt-ſide of the land, there they would be kept out by the river of Jordan, and the dead ſea, which ran along on that ſide, and by the Canaanites (one of the nations of the land ſo particularly called) who dwelt by the ſea and by the coaſt of Jordan, and ſo being a valiant and ſtrong people would improve thoſe advantages for the beſt defence of their countrey, and not ſuffer the Iſraelites to enter there.
Verſ. 30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moſes, &c.]
And Joſhua with him, chap. 14. 6, 7. And Joſhua the ſonne of Nun, and Caleb the ſonne of Jephunneh, which were of them that ſearched the land, rent their clothes. And they ſpake unto all the company of the children of Iſrael, ſaying, The land which we paſſed through to ſearch it is an exceeding good land: yet now at firſt it may be Joſhua adviſedly held his peace, becauſe he was Moſes miniſter. However, for this it was that Moſes made promiſe to Caleb concerning Hebron and the country adjoyning, Joſh. 14. 9. And Moſes ſware on that day, ſaying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have troden ſhall be thine inheritance, and thy childrens for ever, becauſe thou haſt wholly followed the Lord my God.
Verſ. 32. The land through which we have gone to ſearch it is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof.]
That is, a land wherein the people of the land are continually devoured, by reaſon of their bloudy warres, wherein they are ever involved either with their neighbours, or amongſt themſelves; implying how little hope there was for them to prevail againſt ſuch a fierce untamed people, and how little comfort they could expect, if they ſhould drive out ſome of the inhabitants and plant themſelves in their room, they ſhould be ſure to be eaten out with continuall warres. Look as formerly the Amorites had conquered the Moabites, Numb. 21. 28▪ 29. the Caphterims or Philiſtins had deſtroyed the Anims▪ Deut. 2. 23. ſo it would be with them: and indced this very phraſe was after uſed againſt this land, when the heathen had deſtroyed the Iſraelites in it, Ezek. 36. 13▪ 14. Thus ſaith the Lord God, Becauſe they ſay unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; therefore thou ſhalt devoure m…n no more▪