Commentary on Deuteronomy, Commentary · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.Chapter XIII.
Verſe 1. IF there ariſe among you.] In future Verſe 1 times.
A Prophet.] One that pretends to have a Meſſage from God delivered to him in a Viſion, or by the Word of the LORD. For there was a conſtant Succeſſion of Prophets (to whom God revealed his mind ſeveral ways) among the Jews, to preſerve them in the true Worſhip of God, and inſtruct them in their Law, and admoniſh them, on ſome occaſions, of things to come. Which was the more neceſſary, becauſe there were ſuch kind of Perſons among the Gentiles.
Or a dreamer of Dreams.] Who pretended God had appeared to him in a Dream (as he did unto Jacob, XXVIII Gen. 11.) and revealed his mind to him. Such there were in Jeremiah's time, XXIX Jerem. 8.
And give thee a ſign.] Foretell ſomething.
Or a wonder.] By what follows, one would think this belongs to the foregoing words; which are to be underſtood, as if he had ſaid, If he foretell ſome wonderful thing, which ſhall ſhortly come to paſs. Or it may be interpreted, ſhall work a miracle: unto which the Heathen did not ſo much pretend, as they did to Predictions, which were common among them.
Ver. 2. And the ſign or the wonder come to paſs whereof Verſe 2 he ſpake unto thee.] The Event confirm the Prediction; ſo that he ſeem a true Prophet.
Saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us ſerve them.] And conſequently he perſwade you to worſhip other gods; which he pretends is demonſtrated to be lawful, by the fulfilling of his Sign and Wonder.
Verſe 3 Ver. 3. Thou ſhalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet, or dreamer of Dreams.] Notwithſtanding look upon him as a Lyar, and not as a true Prophet. For God cannot contradict himſelf, nor do any thing to perſwade Men to forſake him, and give his Worſhip to another. This ſhows that he ſtill purſues his intention (in this Chapter as well as all the foregoing) to eſtabliſh them in the Belief and Worſhip of one God, according to the firſt Commandment. From which nothing was more likely to ſeduce them, than falſe Prophets; who were the great Inſtruments of eſtabliſhing the fouleſt Idolatry in Iſrael: As appears from 1 Kings XVIII. 19. where we read of no leſs then Four hundred Prophets of Baal; and Four hundred and fifty Prophets of the Groves: that is, of other falſe gods, particularly Aſtarte, as Mr. Selden conjectures in his Syntagma II. de Diis Syris, Cap. II. And there could not be a plainer Demonſtration that a Man was a falſe Prophet, than if he endeavoured to draw them to the Worſhip of other gods; or if he pretended to ſpeak in the Name of any other god, (XVIII Deut. 20.) or if he commanded them to offer ſuch Sacrifices as God abhorred. Thus Ariſtander (as David Chytraeus notes) diſcovered himſelf to be a falſe Prophet, though he foretold the deſtruction of Babylon; for he required Humane Sacrifices to be offered. As Tireſias alſo predicted Victory to the Thebans, provided Creon's Daughter was offered up in Sacrifice: and Chalcas the time of the Siege of Troy, but together therewith commanded the Sacrifice of Iphigenia. Theſe, and ſuch like things, plainly diſcovered they were not inſpired by God, who is the lover of Mankind, and cannot delight in their Blood.
For the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your Soul.] That there might be an open and publick diſcovery made, whether they ſincerely loved God or no, or were ſtedfaſt in their Religion. So Maimonides in his More Nevochim P. III. Cap. XXIV. God would make known to the Nations of the World the meaſure of your Faith, in the Truth of his Law; and of the Approbation wherewith you apprehend it, &c. For it had been a great weakneſs to ſuffer even a Miracle to ſhake their Faith, after it had been confirmed by ſo many Miracles.
Ver. 4. Ye ſhall walk after the LORD your God.] Verſe 4 Follow the Will of God (as Maimonides interprets it) declared by himſelf, More Nevochim P. I. Cap. XXXVIII. Which is a plainer and more genuine Interpretation than that of the Gamera of Sota, Cap. I. Sect. 52. where R. Chama expounds it of imitating God, in cloathing the Naked, viſiting the Sick, burying the Dead, &c. For Beneficence is the beginning, and the end of the Divine Law. Which is a pious ſenſe, but not here intended.
And fear him.] Worſhip him alone, VI. 2.
And keep his Commandments.] The greateſt of which is this, XI. 13.
And obey his voice.] Which you heard from Mount Sinai, ſaying, Thou ſhalt have no other gods but me.
And ye ſhall ſerve him, and cleave unto him.] Stedfaſtly adhere unto his Service, and not be drawn from it by any perſwaſion.
Verſe 5 Ver. 5. And that Prophet, or dreamer of Dreams.] Theſe two ſignifie Perſons who pretended to different ſorts of Revelations; by Viſions, or by Dreams.
Shall be put to death.] This the Jews interpret to ſignifie Strangulation: unto which, upon good proof of the Fact, he was to be Sentenced by the great Sanhedrim. For that was a received Maxim among them, That a lying Prophet was to be judged no where but by the Council of LXX. See Selden Lib. III. de Synedriis, Cap. VI. N. I.
Becauſe he hath ſpoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the Houſe of Bondage.] Perſwaded you to forſake your God and his Service; to whom you owe your Liberty, and all your Poſſeſſions in the Land of Canaan.
To thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in.] Theſe words expreſs how zealous ſuch Impoſtors were in their Importunities; and how reſtleſs in their Endeavours to draw Men to Idolatry: preſſing them ſo earneſtly, as if they would force them to it.
So ſhalt thou put the Evil away from the midst of thee.] i. e. The danger of Idolatry: by taking away the Life of him that would have ſeduced others unto it.
Verſe 6 Ver. 6. If thy Brother, the Son of thy Mother.] Who lay in the ſame Womb with him.
Or thy Son, or thy Daughter.] Who were dearer than a Brother.
Or the Wife of thy boſom.] Who was ſtill dearer; ſleeping in the ſame Bed with him, as the Hieruſalem Targum expounds it.
Or thy Friend, which is as thine own Soul.] Whom thou loveſt as thou doſt thy Life. He puts a Friend in the chief place, (as the Son of Sirach alſo doth, XXXIII Ecclus. 19.) which their Wives, by the ill choice they made of them, had not always in their Affection.
Here is no mention of Father or Mother, becauſe a Child, as the Hebrews fancy, was to have more Reverence for them, than to Accuſe them of any Crime whatſoever. As if a greater regard was to be had to them, than to God himſelf. The true Reaſon is, becauſe there was no need to name them: for if their Piety to God was to overcome their Love to all thoſe Relations before-mentioned, it could not be ſuppoſed that Reſpect to Parents was to come into competition with it.
Intice thee ſecretly.] In the foregoing Verſes he ſpeaks of an open Seducer; and here of a ſecret one. There of one that came with Authority; and here of one of the ordinary People.
Saying, Let us go and ſerve other gods.] The Jews think this is meant of one who invited others to Idolatry, but did not preſs them with Reaſons, as in the former Caſe. Which is not likely, for all Men pretend ſome Reaſon or other, for ſuch a great Alteration as that to a new Religion.
Which thou hast not known, thou nor thy Fathers.] This aggravates the Crime; to entice them to forſake God, who was known to have done ſuch Wonders for their Fathers, and was ſo good to them, and go to ſerve gods with whom they had no Acquaintance.
Ver. 7. Namely, of the gods of the People which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee.] Whereſoever they were (for ſeveral Nations had ſeveral Verſe 7 gods) whether in the neighbouring Countries, or in remote Parts; it made no difference at all, if they were ſtrange gods.
From one end of the Earth, even unto the other end of the Earth.] The Enticer might poſſibly ſuggeſt the Univerſality of the Worſhip to which he invited him, as an Argument to embrace it.
Verſe 8 Ver. 8. Thou ſhalt not conſent unto him.] As many words as there are in this Verſe, the Jews think there are ſo many Precepts. The firſt of which is this, Not to be led by Affection and kindneſs to yield unto his Motion. So they interpret theſe words, Thou ſhalt not love him.
Nor hearken unto him.] I do not ſee how this differs from the former; but they interpret it, That they ought to hate him, as well as his Motion. So Maimonides in his Book of the Worſhip of the Planets, Cap. V. Sect. 6, 7.
Neither ſhall thine eye pity him.] This, they fancy, ſignifies, that if he were in danger of death, they ſhould not help him, but let him periſh.
Neither ſhalt thou ſpare.] When he was brought before the Judge, they were not to intercede for him, nor ſay any thing in his favour; nor aſſiſt him to defend himſelf.
Neither ſhalt thou conceal him.] Diſſemble any thing that might make againſt him. And no doubt, God intended by all theſe words to ſignifie, that he ought to be lookt upon as his greateſt Enemy; upon whom therefore they were to have no Mercy, but to proſecute him unto death, as guilty of the higheſt Treaſon againſt the Divine Majeſty.
Ver. 9. But thou ſhalt ſurely kill him.] Not privately, as he inticed others; but by a Legal Proceſs againſt him in a Court of Judgment. And that not Verſe 9 the higheſt; but in the Court of XXIII. who might proceed againſt him, as Mr. Selden obſerves, Lib. III. de Synedr. Cap. VI. The only difficulty was, how to prove him Guilty, who inticed another ſecretly, (as the Text ſaith) and not before Witneſſes. To which the Jews anſwer, That he who was inticed, was to diſpoſe ſome Perſons as ſecretly near to the place of their next meeting, who might hear all he ſaid, and teſtifie it in Court.
Thy hand ſhall be first upon him to put him to death.] He was to be ſtoned to Death; and the Accuſer was to throw the firſt Stone at him, together with the Witneſſes, XVII. 7. For it would have weakned the Credit of his Accuſation, if he had not been the foremoſt in the Execution. See XVII. 7.
And afterwards the hand of all the People.] Who were to aſſiſt in the Execution of this Sentence.
The firſt words of this Verſe, which we tranſlate Thou ſhalt ſurely kill him, the Vulgar Latin tranſlates, Thou ſhalt forthwith kill him. And ſo the Jews underſtand the Hebrew Phraſe, Killing thou ſhalt kill him; i. e. immediately have him before the Court of Judgment. As the LXX. underſtood it, foreign, informing thou ſhalt inform against him: that is, without delay. And accordingly the Jews add, that after he was Condemned, he was immediately alſo put to death. Whereas in other Crimes the Execution was reſpited, after the Sentence was pronounced, for a Day and a Night, that the Man might have time to clear his Innocence, if he were able, by any new Proofs. Such Severity was but needful among a People prone to Idolatry, and incompaſſed on all ſides with idolatrous Nations.
Verſe 10 Ver. 10. And thou ſhalt ſtone him with ſtones that he die.] But if upon Admonition he deſiſted from his Enticement, and repented of what he had ſaid to his Neighbour, and reſolved himſelf not to worſhip other gods; he was not bound to inform againſt him.
Becauſe he hath ſought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, &c.] See v. 5. The very attempt of this was Criminal, though he did not prevail in his Seducement.
Verſe 11 Ver. 11. And all Iſrael ſhall hear and fear, and ſhall do no more any ſuch wickedneſs as this among you.] The end of this Severity was to preſerve the Body of the People from the Contagion of Idolatry. Nothing being more apt to deter Men from Crimes, than ſuch exemplary Puniſhments of them. So Callimachus in his Hymn to Ceres, Verſ. 23. makes this the deſign of the Puniſhment ſhe inflicted on Eryſichthon, —foreign that others might ſhun the like Tranſgreſſion.
Verſe 12 Ver. 12. And if thou ſhalt hear ſay in one of thy Cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell in, ſaying.] If the Infection was ſpread into a City, or a conſiderable part of it, there was ſtill more danger, and greater Severity was to be uſed; to prevent the whole Country about it from being drawn away from their Allegiance to the Divine Majeſty. And therefore upon ſuch an Information, as follows in the next Verſe (which is here meant by thou ſhalt hear ſay) given to the great Sanhedrim, they were to do as is directed v. 14.
Ver. 13. Certain Men, the Children of Belial.] So Verſe 13 the moſt profligate Wretches are called in Scripture, (XIX Judges 22. 1 Sam. I. 16. X. 27. XXV. 17, 25.) ſignifying lawleſs Perſons, who had no regard either to God or Men.
Are gone out from among you.] Left the Worſhip of God at the Tabernacle. For it doth not ſignifie their forſaking the City (in which they continued to ſeduce Men from their Religion) but forſaking their Communion in Divine Service. By which many have well obſerved, that place in St. John may be interpreted, 1 Epist. St. John II. 19.
And have withdrawn the Inhabitants of their City.] The Hebrew word which here we tranſlate withdraw, is twice before (v. 5, 10.) tranſlated thrust away: ſignifying only earneſt endeavours to ſeduce Men from their Religion. But here it ſeems to ſignifie alſo the Effect of thoſe Endeavours, whereby they had prevailed with Men to forſake the God of Iſrael, or to worſhip other gods with him.
Saying, Let us go and ſerve other gods, which ye have not known.] Strange gods, as they are often called in Scripture, which the Nations round about them worſhipped (v. 7.) but were always abhorred by true Iſraelites.
Ver. 14. Then ſhalt thou enquire, and make ſearch, Verſe 14 and ask diligently.] The great Sanhedrim, who only could take Cognizance of this Crime, were, upon this Information, to ſend ſome, on whoſe fidelity they could rely, to examine the truth of the Report, which was ſpread abroad, concerning the defection of a City to the worſhip of other gods. Who were to uſe their utmoſt care and diligence in this inquiſition, and by all poſſible means endeavour to find, whether or no the Information was true. For it was a matter of great concernment, that neither the Innocent ſhould ſuffer, nor Apoſtates go unpuniſhed. But the Puniſhment being ſo dreadful, there was the greater exactneſs uſed to be certain of the Crime; and there were likewiſe a great many temperaments (as Mr. Selden calls them) found by the Jewiſh Lawyers (partly from the niceſt Interpretation of every Syllable in theſe two Verſes, and partly from the pretended Tradition of their Elders) whereby they mitigated the ſharpneſs of this Law. For they would not proceed upon it to deſtroy a City, though they found them Idolaters, unleſs the Seducers were two, or more; and thoſe alſo Men, not Women: becauſe the Law here ſpeaks in the Plural Number, of certain Men, Children of Belial. As if their forſaking God was not a Crime, whether they were perſwaded to it, or no, by others. They ſay alſo, it was not to be a meer Town or Village, but a City; becauſe the words here are, In one of thy Cities: in which there were more than an hundred Houſes. If there were fewer, it was no City, in their account, and ſo eſcaped. They who ſeduced a City alſo, were to be of the ſame City; becauſe it is ſaid here, Theſe Men of Belial are gone out from among you. All which are meer quirks, which have no ſolid Reaſon in them. They are all mentioned together in the Title Sanhedrim, ſet forth by J. Coch. Cap. XI. Sect. 4. and by Maimonides more largely in his Avoda zara, and our Selden Lib. III. de Synedi. Cap. V. N. 2.
But there are other temperaments of this Law, which have better Foundation in Reaſon. As first, that a City was not to be deſtroyed, unleſs the major part of the Inhabitants were fall'n off to ſerve other gods. And ſecondly, that the Law ſpeaks only of leſſer Cities, not of thoſe which were ſo large that the greateſt part of a Tribe lived in it; for God would not have a whole Tribe cut off by the Senate. Thirdly, They might not deſtroy any of the ſix Cities of Refuge, becauſe they were none of theirs, but God's: and the words of the Law are, in one of thy Cities, which the LORD hath given thee to dwell in; whereas theſe were given for a further purpoſe. And fourthly ſome add, not a frontier Town; becauſe it is ſaid, in the midst of thee, (ſo the words are in the Hebrew, which we tranſlate among you) to which they ſubjoyn a better Reaſon, becauſe the whole Country might have been expoſed to be over-run with the Gentiles. And laſtly, they except Jeruſalem from this Law, becauſe it was God's Seat: and (as Maimonides will have it) it was not diſtributed to any particular Tribe. Which, how it is to be underſtood, ſee Selden in the place above-named, Sect. III, IV. where he touches upon all theſe. But if Jeruſalem was to be excepted from the Judgment of Men, God took care to have this Sentence executed upon it by his own judgment; for he ſent Nebuchadnezzar againſt it, whoſe Souldiers burnt with fire, both the Houſe of the LORD, and the Houſe of the King, and all the Houſes of Jeruſalem, LII Jerem. 13.
And behold, if it be truth, and the thing be certain, that ſuch abomination is wrought among you.] If the Inquiſitors found, upon due Examinations, that there was a plain and evident Proof of their Guilt, they were to make their Report to the great Sanhedrim; who being ſatisfied that either the whole City, or the greater part of them were fall'n to Idolatry, ſent to them two Men of extraordinary Wiſdom (who were Candidates for the Senatorial Dignity) to admoniſh them, and by Arguments and Perſwaſions, to endeavour to reduce them to the Worſhip of the LORD God of Iſrael. And if they prevailed, they were pardoned, and no further Proceedings againſt them: but if they continued obſtinate, then the Sanhedrim commanded the People of Iſrael to raiſe an Army, and beſiege the place, and enter it by force, if they could not otherways. And when the City was taken, ſeveral Courts were appointed to try and condemn all that were guilty. Thus Maimonides, in the forenamed Treatiſe, reports the method of proceeding, out of their ancient Authors. See Selden Sect. VI.
Verſe 15 Ver. 15. Thou ſhalt ſurely ſmite the Inhabitants of that City with the edge of the Sword.] The ſame Author there ſaith, that in the hearing of their Cauſe, every one who was found guilty of Idolatry, after admonition, by two Witneſſes, was ſet aſide: And if they proved to be the leſſer part of the City, they were ſtoned, (according to the Law againſt ſingle Apoſtates) the reſt being freed from Puniſhment: but if they were the greater part of it, they were ſent to the great Sanhedrim, who adjudged them to be cut off by the Sword, together with their Wives and Children. And thus the whole City was to be puniſhed, if there was an Univerſal defection.
Deſtroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the Cattle thereof with the edge of the Sword.] In the Hebrew the word is thou ſhalt make it a Cherem, or an accurſed thing. And ſo the LXX. foreign, where the Vulgar tranſlate it as we do, thou ſhalt utterly deſtroy it: which is conſonant to the notion of the Hebrew word. See Selden L. I. de Synedr. Cap. VII. p. 131. So that if any righteous Man had any thing therein at that time, it was to be deſtroyed, as the very words are in the Title Sanhedrim, Cap. XI. Sect. 5. But it is to be ſuppoſed, that all who feared God would remove their Effects, together with themſelves, from ſo wicked a place, before Sentence was pronounced againſt them. On the contrary, they ſay, the Goods of the Idolaters, whereſoever they were found, whether within the City, or without, were to be burnt.
Ver. 16. And thou ſhalt gather all the ſpoil of it, into Verſe 16 the midst of the ſtreet thereof.] Into the Market-place, as the Jews interpret it. Or if it had none, they were to make a ſpacious place, into which all the Spoil and the Houſholdſtuff was to be brought, and fire ſet to it to conſume it, as an Anathema, or curſed thing. What temperaments, as they called them, there were to mitigate the Severity of this Sentence, ſee Mr. Selden in the place forenamed, Sect. VII.
And ſhalt burn with fire the City, and all the ſpoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God.] For the Vindication of God's Honour, and preſerving Men in their Allegiance to him. R. Simeon in the Title Sanhedrim, interprets it in this manner, Sect. VI. Thus ſaith the LORD, if you do juſtice upon a City full of Idolatry, I will account it, as if you had offered an whole Burnt-offering unto me.
And it ſhall be an heap for ever, it ſhall not be built again.] The Hebrew Doctors do not intirely agree in the Interpretation of theſe words. For ſome of them ſay (in that place of the Sanhedrim now named) that they were not ſo much as to make a Garden or Orchard in that place. Others of them ſay, though it might not be reſtored into the form of a City, yet they might employ the Ground in Plantations of Trees. But there are thoſe who interpret the words ſo rigidly, that they think it was not lawful to erect any Building there, not ſo much as a Dove-houſe, but it was to lye waſte. See Selden Sect. VIII. If any Man did attempt to build ſuch a City, he was to be beaten, as the ſame great Man obſerves, Lib. I. de Synedriis, Cap. XIII. p. 558.
Verſe 17 Ver. 17. And there ſhall cleave nothing of the curſed thing to thine hand.] They were not to take the ſmalleſt part of the Spoil to their own uſe. For as long as the Wicked are in the World (ſay the Jews in the forenamed Title Sanhedrim) the fierce Anger of God will remain in the World; but when they are removed, the Wrath of God alſo will ceaſe. Now the wickedneſs of purloyning any thing that was a Cherem, as the Hebrews call it, or an accurſed thing, appears in the ſtory of Achan, who brought all Iſrael into danger by it, as we read in the Seventh of Joſhua. And Saul is an eminent Example of it alſo; for he loſt his Kingdom for this Sin, 1 Sam. XV. 3, 9, 19, 26, &c.
That the LORD may turn from the fierceneſs of his anger.] This explains, in part, what he means in the former Verſe, when he bids them burn the City and the Spoil, for the LORD their God; i. e. To pacifie the Divine Majeſty, who was highly incenſed by ſuch a wickedneſs. The puniſhment of which was, indeed, very terrible, but very neceſſary; becauſe the Crime was of ſo high a nature, that it ſtruck at the very Foundation of their Religion and Government.
And ſhew thee mercy, and have compaſſion upon thee.] Chapter XIV.God promiſes to deal the better with them, for executing this Judgment upon ſuch dangerous Offenders.
And multiply thee, as he hath ſworn unto thy Fathers.] They were not to fear any want of People, by cutting off ſuch a Multitude; for God promiſes to increaſe them by this loſs.
Ver. 18. When thou ſhalt hearken to the voice of the Verſe 18 LORD thy God, to keep all his Commandments which I command thee this day, &c.] It was not ſufficient that they kept themſelves from Idolatry, unleſs they alſo executed his Vengeance upon Idolaters. For the inflicting the Puniſhment before-named, was as right in his eyes, as the obſervance of any other of his Precepts.