A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Deuteronomy · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Verſ. 3. YE have compaſſed this mountain long enough, turn you Northward.]
Hitherto they had travelled Southward from Kadeſh-barnea to the red ſea; now they were commanded to turn again Northward toward Canaan, not the way they went before by Kadeſh-barnea, but between the coaſts of Edom on the one hand, of Moab and Ammon on the other, ſo to enter into Canaan through Sihon the Amorites land.
Verſ. 4. Ye are to paſſe through the coaſt of your brethren the children of Eſau, which dwell in Seir, and they ſhall be afraid of you &c.]
This clauſe, and they ſhall be afraid of you, is prefixed before the following charge that they ſhould not meddle with the Edomites, as a hint to give them warning not to encourage themſelves by their fear to ſet upon them; and withall the charge given them that they ſhould not meddle with the children of Eſau, is limited to thoſe children of Eſau which dwell in Seir, purpoſely to exclude the Amalekites, whom God had commanded them to deſtroy, Exod. 17. 14. and yet the Amalekites were alſo the children of Eſau, Gen. 36. 12.
Verſ. 6. Ye ſhall buy meat of them for money, &c.]
Hereby it is evident that the Iſraelites did not eat manna onelyonly in the wilderneſſe, but other meat likewiſe when they were where other meat could be gotten.
Verſ. 7. For the Lord thy God hath bleſſed thee, &c.]
Three arguments there are couched in theſe words whereby Moſes is to perſwade the Iſraelites not to wrong their brethren the Edomites in the leaſt thing whatſoever; firſt, becauſe the Lord had bleſſed them, that is, he had proſpered them ſo that they were able to pay for that which they had occaſion to deſire of them: ſecondly, becauſe the Lords eye was upon them to take care of them in their travels through the wilderneſſe (for that is the meaning of thoſe words, He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderneſſe) ſo that having God to watch over them, they need not ſeek to ſupply themſelves in an unlawfull way: and thirdly, becauſe they had found this true already for fourty years together, and therefore might the more ſecurely reſt upon God, Theſe fourty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee, thou hast lacked nothing.
Verſ. 9. I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a poſſeſſion.]
Ar was a chief mountain, and the city thereon the royall city in the Moabites land, Numb. 21. 15, 28. and ſo it is put here for the whole countrey.
Verſ. 10. The Emims dwelt therein in times paſt, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakims.]
By interpretation, terrible ones. Gods hand muſt needs be acknowledged in driving out ſuch giants before the Moabites, which happely is alledged here, firſt, as an evidence that God had given them that land, which was not therefore to be taken from them by the Iſraelites; and ſecondly, as an encouragement to the Iſraelites: for if God had done this for the Moabites, much more might they expect that he would do it for them.
Verſ. 20. The Ammonites call them Zamzummims.]
That is, preſumptuous wicked ones. See the note on verſe 10.
Verſ. 23. And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, &c.]
The Caphtorims here mentioned are the Philiſtines, or elſe ſome other people that joyned with the Philiſtines, and drave out the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, that is, the land of the Philiſtines, and poſſeſſed their countrey▪ See Amos 9. 7. and Jer. 47. 4. and Gen. 10. 13, 14.
Verſ. 26. And I ſent meſſengers out of the wilderneſſe of Kedemo…h, &.]
There was a city of that name in Sihons countrey, Joſh. 13. 18. and chap. 21. 37. near to which lay this wilderneſſe where Iſrael now was when they ſent this ambaſſage to Sihon with words of peace, which was according to the Law after given, Deut. 20. 10. and was done now to make the deſtruction of the Amorites the more juſt and inexcuſable. See the note upon Numb. 21. 21, 22.
Verſ. 28. OnelyOnly I will paſſe through on my feet.]
We will ask nothing of thee gratis, but onelyonly this, that we may paſſe through thy countrey.
Verſ. 29. As the children of Eſau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar did unto me.]
For though the children of Eſau denyed them a paſſage through their countrey, which was the neareſt way, Numb. 20. …0, 21. yet when they turned aſide, and went along by their coaſt in the outskirts of their countrey, they permitted this, and withall the people afforded them meat for their money, as is evident by this place, ſo it ſeems it was too with the Moabites. Indeed ſome couceive that they onelyonly allowed them a paſſage through their countrey, but refuſed them proviſion, which they ground upon that place, Deut. 23. 3, 4. But I rather think the meaning of that place is, that they did not come forth to meet the Iſraelites with bread and water, as thoſe uſe to do that wiſh good ſucceſſe, and rejoyce in the welfare of the people to whom they bring it; for this they might fail in, and yet the people might ſell them proviſion as they went along: and therefore for any thing we reade elſewhere it may well be that the Moabites did alſo ſuffer the Iſraelites to paſſe through the skirts of their countrey, and did ſell them meat and water for their money; though it is true indeed that afterwards, when the Iſraelites had deſtroyed Sihon and Og, and their people, fearing leſt they ſhould do the ſame to them, becauſe the land of the Moabites bordered upon theſe countreys, they together with the Midianites aſſayed both by open violence and ſecret treachery to do them all the miſchief they were able, Numb. 22. 1, &c.
Verſ. 34. And utterly destroyed the men, and the women, &c.]
This doubtleſſe they did by the ſpeciall command of God; and it was much according to the Law afterwards given them, Deut. 20. 16.
Verſ. 36. And from the citie that is by the river.]
To wit, Ar, Numb. 21. 15.
Verſ. 37. OnelyOnly unto the land of the children of Ammon thou cameſt not, nor to any place of the river Jabbock, &c.]
To wit, on the outſide of Jabbok, which was the border of the Ammonites, Joſh. 12. 2. with whom God had charged them not to meddle, verſe 19. ſo likewiſe by the cities of the mountains here are meant thoſe cities of the Ammonites which were in that mountanous countrey which lay beyond Jabbok, of which Moſes had ſaid before, that the bord…r of the children of Ammon was strong▪ Numb. 21. 24. It is i…deed ſaid, Joſh. 13. 24, 25. that Moſes gave unto the tribe of Gad half the land of the children of Ammon; but that is meant of the land which was now in the poſſeſſion of Sihon King of the Amorites, though it had formerly belonged to the children of Ammon, till Sihon took it from them; for with the land which was in the poſſeſſion of the Ammonites at this time, the Iſraelites did not meddle, as is here fully expreſſed.