A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Numbers · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
Verſ. 1. THen came the daughters of Zelophehad, &c.]
Becauſe the Lord had ſaid in the foregoing chapter, verſ. 53. that the land ſhould be divided amongſt thoſe they had now numbred from twenty years old and upward, and ſo Zelophehad being dead without ſonnes, his children were like to have no inheritance in the land, therefore his daughters came now to Moſes and Eleazar, deſiring that that ſhare of the land might be aſsigned to them which ſhould have been their fathers had he been then living.
Verſ. 2. And they ſtood before Moſes, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes, and all the congregation by the doore of the tabernacle, &c.]
Whither they were it ſeems for this very purpoſe come, that they might enquire of the Lord concerning this difficult caſe: for I conceive they had formerly demanded an inheritance of the Judges, and were by them appointed to plead for themſelves before the doore of the tabernacle, where they ſhould have an anſwer from God himſelf.
Verſ. 3. Our father died in the wilderneſſe, &c.]
This plea of the daughters of Zelophehad is in effect as if they had thus ſaid, Our father was one of thoſe whom the Lord carried out of Egypt, to go and take poſſeſsion of the land of Canaan, and though he died in the wilderneſſe, yet he was not taken away by any ſpeciall judgement, becauſe he had his hand in ſome inſurrection and rebellion, ſuch as was that of thoſe that gathered themſelves together againſt the Lord in the company of Korah (and this they alledge to make their cauſe the more favourable, becauſe had he been cut off in any ſ…ch inſurrection, ſome might judge that it was no matter though his poſterity were excluded from having any ſhare in the land of Ca…aan) but died in his own ſinne, that is, he died his naturall death when his time was come, as being by ſinne liable to death as all other men are. Thus Korahs conſpiracie is mentioned here, either by a Synecdoche, this one being put for all other the rebellions of the Iſraelites▪ and ſo the meaning muſt be that their father died in no particular rebellion againſt the Lord; or elſe becauſe whereas all the other murmurings and inſurrections againſt Moſes were eſpecially the ſinne of the common ſort of people. Korahs was chiefly of the princes and great men of every tribe, chap. 16. 2. and ſo happely becauſe their father was one of the chief of the tribe of Manaſſeh, therefore they mention onelyonly the rebellion of the great ones. And as for that phraſe of their fathers dying in his own ſinne, though ſome Expo…itours underſtand it thus, that he dyed not for any ſpeciall inſurrection but onelyonly for that ſinne wherein the whole congregation was involved as well as he; and for which the Lord threatned that they ſhould all die in the wilderneſſe, to wit, for refuſing to go into the land of Canaan when God had brought them thither, yet I rather think it is meant of his own private ſinnes, which made him liable to death, as all other men are, for that all have …inned, Rom. 5. 12.
Verſ. 4. Why ſhould the name of our father be done away from among his familie becauſe he hath no ſonne?]
That is, why ſhould not he be named amongſt others in the diviſion of the land, which if it be not, his name and familie will be quite extinguiſhed as if he had never been; and hence ſome Expoſitours conclude that as when a man dyed without iſſue, and his brother m…rried his widow to raiſe up ſeed unto his brother, his firſt ſonne was in their Genealogies reckoned to be the ſonne of him that dyed without iſſue; ſo it was in this caſe, the firſt ſonnes of thoſe that married the daughters of Zelophehad were accounted the ſonnes of Zelophehad; and ſo under his name did inherit his land.
Verſ. 4. Give unto us therefore a poſſeſſion among the brethren of our father.]
This pleading for a portion in that land, which was not yet conquered, was a true act of faith, and muſt needs encourage others, and help to ſtrengthen their faith. And beſides, hereby was ſhown, as in a type, that even women have an equall ſhare with men in the heavenly Canaan; for all inherit through Chriſt, in whom there is neither male nor female, but all are one, Gal. 3. 28.
Verſ. 7. Thou ſhalt ſurely give them a poſſeſsion of an inheritance among their fathers brethren, &c.]
Thus the Lord granted theſe daughters of Zelophehad their deſire, which how it was performed by Joſhua, we may reade, Joſh. 17. 4. According to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father; yet withall there was afterwards a caution added, to wit, that they might not marry out of their own tribe, chap. 36. 6.
Verſ. 12. Get thee up into this mount Abarim, &c.]
There was a long tract of mountains which were called the mountains of Abarim, chap. …3. 47. and into one of theſe was Moſes now ſent, to wit, that which is elſewhere called mount Nebo▪ which was in the land of Moab over againſt Jericho, Deut 32. 49. and Piſgah, Deut. 34. 1. Hence Moſes might ſee the land afarre off, though he might not enter it; and ſo the Law did ſhew the Iſraelites heaven afarre off, but not as it is now revealed to us in the Goſpel.
Verſ. 13. And when thou haſt ſeen it, thou ſhalt be gathered unto thy people, &c.]
That they ſhould not enter the land God had threatned before, Numb. 20. 12. Se… the notes upon that place.
Verſ. 14. That is the water of Meribah in Kadeſh in the wilderneſſe of Zin.]
This is added to diſtinguiſh it from another Meribah, Exod. 17. 7. where water was fetched out alſo from the rock, but there Moſes and Aaron diſpleaſed not the Lord.
Verſ. 16. Let the Lord, the God of the ſpirits of all fleſh, ſet a man over the congregation.]
Moſes at this time prayed alſo earneſtly to the Lord, that he might go over and ſee the land; but God would not grant him his deſire herein, Deut. 3. 23, 26. concerning this phraſe▪ the God of the ſpirits of all fleſh, ſee the note upon Numb. 16. 22. This title is fitly in this prayer of Moſes given unto the Lord, both as implying that he was the ſearcher of mens ſpirits, and therefore knew beſt who was fitteſt for the place; and likewiſe as intimating that he was able to frame and faſhion their ſpirits as he pleaſed, and to give them any gifts or graces requiſite for the imployment.
Verſ. 17. Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, &c.]
That is, who may guide them and govern them, both at home and abroad, in times of warre and in times of peace, and undertake the charge of defending them againſt their enemies: for under this phraſe of going ou… and coming in before them, of leading them out and bringing them in, all the offices of the ſupreme magiſtracy are comprehended; and hence Moſes being ready to reſigne the government uſeth …he ſame expreſſion concerning himſelf, Deut. 31. 2. I can no more go out and come in. The ſimilitude is taken from a Captain that marcheth before his ſouldiers, and undertakes to lead them whereever they ſhould go; or rather from ſhepherds, whoſe cuſtome it was to go out and in before his flocks, to lead them out to their paſtures, and to bring them home to their folds; and therefore in the next words Moſes addes, that the congregation of the Lord be not as ſheep which have no …hepherd.
Verſ. 18. Take thee Joſhua the ſonne of Nun, a man in whom is the ſpirit.]
That is, a man of eminent gifts, and therefore fit for this place and imployment: and indeed herein was Joſhua a type of Chriſt, concerning whom the prophet foretold, that the spirit of the Lord ſhould rest upon him, the spirit of wiſdome and understanding, the spirit of counſell and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.
And lay thine hand upon him.]
Or, thy hands, for ſo it is ſaid, verſ. 23. that Moſes laid his hands upon him: and by this ceremony of the impoſition of Moſes hands was ſignified firſt and eſpecially, that the ſupreme Magiſtracy ſhould be transferred from Moſes to him, as being the man now conſecrated and ſet apart to this place and ſervice; ſecondly, that the hand of God ſhould be upon him to defend him and proſper him in all his wayes; and thirdly, that God would conferre upon him a great encreaſe of the gifts of his ſpirit, anſwerable to the dignity whereto he was advanced: and thus it ſeems upon the impoſition of Moſes hands was accordingly performed, as we ſee Deut. 34. 9. Joſhua the ſonne of Nun was full of the ſpirit of wiſdome; for Moſes had laid his hands upon him. The like ceremony was …fterwards uſed in the dayes of the Goſpel, when men were ſeparated and ſet apart to preach the Goſpel, and in a manner for the ſame reaſons: whence is that of the Apoſtle S. Paul to Timothy, 1. Tim. 4. 14. Neglect not the gift which is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of th… Presbytery.
Verſ. 19. And ſet him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation.]
To wit, that he firſt as the chief, and the people with him, might aſſent to that which God had dec…eed.
And give him a charge in their ſight.]
That is, openly before them all make known to him what his office is, and charge him faithfully and carefully to perform that which he undertakes; and it may well be that this was the very charge which is afterwards expreſſed by Moſes, Deut. 31. 7, 8. at which time God himſelf alſo gave him a charge, verſ. 14, 15.
Verſ. 20. And thou ſhalt put ſome of thine honour upon him, &c.]
This may be meant of the gifts of Gods ſpirit, which made Moſes to be ſo highly honoured amongſt the people, as elſewhere it is ſaid concerning the ſeventy Elders that were choſen to aſſiſt Moſes in the government, that God would take of the ſpirit that was upon Moſes and put it upon them, chap. 11. 17. concerning which ſee the note upon that place. Now Moſes is commanded to put of this his honour upon Joſhua, onelyonly becauſe at the laying of Moſes hands upon him, theſe gifts of Gods ſpirit ſhould be imparted to him: and it is not ſaid, put thine honour upon him, but, put of thine honour upon him, or, as it is in our Bibles, thou ſhalt put ſome of thine honour upon him, becauſe though Joſhua was to have the ſame gifts imparted to him that Moſes had, yet not in the ſame meaſure; whence it is ſaid, Deut. 34. 10. that there aroſe not a prophet ſince in Iſrael like unto Moſes. Or elſe rather by Moſes honour here is meant his authority and dignity; and then it is ſaid that he ſhould put ſome of his honour upon him in relation to the preſent time before Moſes death, to wit, that he ſhould preſently admit him into ſome communion of authority with him, and ſo cauſe the people to give him that honour which was due unto Moſes ſucceſſour, the elect Judge of Iſrael.
Verſ. 21. And he ſhall ſtand before Eleazar the priest, who ſhall ask counſel for him, after the judgement of Urim. &c.]
That is, upon all occaſions he ſhall preſent himſelf before Eleazar to ask counſel of him, who ſhall enquire of the Lord for him after the judgement of Urim. What this Urim was, ſee Exod. 28. 30. what is meant by asking counſel after the judgement of Urim, is hard to ſay. This I conceive is moſt probable, when any came to enquire of the Lord, the prieſt put on the Ephod, whereto the pectorall was faſtened, in the fold whereof the Urim and Thummim was put by Moſes, and ſo the prieſt in the name of the parties propounded ſuch queſtions, as they deſired to be ſatisfied in from the Lord, deſiring the Lord to return them an anſwer (according as we find it 1. Sam. 23. 9, 10, 11, 12.) whereupon the Lord did either by the illumination of his ſpirit (whereof the Urim was an embleme or outward ſigne) reveal unto the prieſt what anſwer he ſhould give the party enquiring▪ or elſe by an immediate voice from heaven; and this was called the judgement of Urim, becauſe it pleaſed the Lord, upon the applying or putting on of the pectorall, to give judgement in the cauſe enquired of by the prieſt.