Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 8 · Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII. How the Kings of Iudah and Iſrael, brake this Commandement in multiplying riches.
DEVT. 17.17. Neither ſhall he greatly multiply to himſelfe ſilver and gold, &c.
IT is lawfull for Kings to multiple riches by lawfull meanes;How the Kings of Iuda and Iſrael might multiplie riches. firſt, of their owne proper inheritance, 1 Chron. 29.3. this the Hebrewes call Segulla, I hauehave of my owne proper good. Secondly, the King may multiply his riches by husbandry, as Vzzia did, 2 Chron. 26 10. So by tributes and gifts given unto him by other Nations, 2 Chron. 17.5. in token of their homage and ſubjection. So with things purchaſed by lawfull warre from captiues, 2 Sam. 8.10. and 1 Chro. 18.22. 2 Chro. 15.7. So for the ſafetie of his Country, and for the good of his Subjects, he may require tributes and taxations from the people, and more than ordinary Subſidies, which all turnes to their good: for as the vapours which are drawne up to the Clouds, are not reſerved there, but are ſent downe to the earth againe to water it, and to make it fruitfull; ſo the Subſidies which the King exacteth from the people this wayes, come backe againe to their uſe, to keepe and to defend them.
David had great riches,How David came by his riches. and he got his riches three wayes: firſt by his tributes; ſecondly, by the ſpoyle of his enemies; for he fought twentie battels, and got all the ſpoyle from the enemies; and thirdly, he had argentum capitationis, the pole-money of all the people; and all this he laid up for the building of the Temple of the Lord; therefore he ſaith 1 Chro. 22.14.foreign in afflictione mea. Now behold [Begnaneij] in my povertie or affliction, I hauehave prepared for the houſe of the Lord an hundreth thouſand talents of gold, &c. Why calleth he it, his povertie? becauſe he had nothing but that which he had from the Lord, 1 Chron. 29.16. And therefore he would returne it backe againe for the building of a houſe to him: here David multiplied ſilver, but not contrary to the law.Salomon how he came by his riches. So Salomon exceeded all the Princes of the earth in riches, his Dominion was from the river of Egypt to Euphrates; and from Libanus Northward, to the Mediterran Sea, all thoſe were tributaries to him; the Queene of Sheba brought out of Arabia Faelix much ſpices to him, 1 King. 10. And he had three Navies that came home every third yeere with gold and pretious ſtones; and the whole twelue tribes payd tribute to him: he did not here contrary to the law, that the King ſhould not multiplie riches, but that bleſſing was then fulfilled in him which was made to Abraham, that his ſeede ſhould poſſeſſe, from the river of Egypt to Euphrates.
The Law ſaith, Deut. 17.17.foreign Non multiplicabit ſibi valde [lo jarbe lo meod,] in 2 Chron. 32.27. it is ſaid of Hezekias that he had exceeding much riches: [Harbe meod,] the very ſame words which are in the interdiction, did Hezekias gather his riches contrary to the law here? Not; the meaning of the law then is this, that a King ſhould not multiplie gold and ſilver, to put his confidence in them, or for unneceſſary uſes; and it ſeemeth that Salomon brake not this law untill the Temple was built, the Citie enlarged, and the warres ended; then for him in his old age to lay ſuch heavie tributes and taxations upon the people, was to multiplie riches unto a wrong end: when Salomon gaue gold and ſilver at Ieruſalem as plenteous as ſtones, 2 Chro. 1.15. This was lawfull to giuegive to his Subjects, but Eccleſ. 2.8. he ſayes, I gathered me alſo ſilver and gold, when he gathered it onelyonly to ſatisfie his covetous deſire, and not for neceſſary uſes, that was the tranſgreſſion of the Law.
The next part of the interdiction was this, that he ſhould not multiplie horſes to himſelfe.
The end of this interdiction was firſt, to take away all commerce and dealing with the Egyptians; for having commerce with the Egyptians, & bringing horſes from thence, they were in danger to be infected with Idolatry.Why God forbad them to multiplie. Secondly, he forbad them to multiply horſes, leaſt they ſhould truſt in them, Pſal. 20.7. Some truſt in Chariots, and ſome in Horſes, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. He forbad to multiply horſes to truſt in them, therefore the Lord commandeth Ioſhua 11.6. Thou ſhalt hough their horſes, foreign Subnervabis equo….[Tegnakker Suſchen] ſubnervabis equos, thou ſhalt not kill them, but cut the maſterſinew, and make them unfit for any ſervice and warre hereafter,Ioſhua why commanded to hough the horſes. that they might doe no ſervice againſt the people of God afterwards: they might take Camels and Aſſes in the Battell, Numb. 31.11. and ſuch beaſts as were not fit for the warres, and if at any time they reſerved any of the Horſes, it was but a ſmall number: ſo we ſee 2 Sam. 8.4. that David of a thouſand Chariots and ſeaven hundreth horſemen which he tooke in the warres, reſerved onelyonly horſes for an hundreth Chariots; but he houghed all the reſt of the Chariot horſes, he left them ſo, that they might ſerue for other uſes, but not for the warres, and he reſerved here but the tenth part of them; Salomon at the firſt was commended for the multitude of his horſes,When horſes and ſilver may be multiplied. becauſe he kept them for the defence of the Countrey; but the Law forbiddeth to keepe them for unneceſſary uſes, for oſtentation, or for truſting in them, and ſo Salomon fell afterwards to multiplie horſes and gold exceedingly, but not for neceſſary uſes; and ſee how Eſay is a Commentary to this law, cap. 2.7.8. and ſheweth us the end of this interdiction, when he ſaith, the land is full of ſilver and gold, Multiplying of horſes and gold, draw them to Idolatrie.neither is there any end of their treaſures; their land is alſo full of their horſes, neither is there any end of their Chariots; their land is alſo full of Idols. Here we ſee why the Lord forbiddeth them to multiplie horſes, becauſe theſe drew them to make a league with Idolaters, and made them worſhip Idols.
Thirdly, the King is forbidden to multiplie Wiues,The heathens multiply Wiues. Pro. 31.3. GiueGive not thy ſtrength to women, nor thy wayes to that which deſtroyeth Kings; the Heathen Kings gaue themſelues much to hauehave many wiues: Aſſhuerus commanded, that through all his Provinces which were an hundreth twentie and ſeaven, that the moſt beautifull Virgins ſhould be brought to him, Eſth. 2.3.Iuſtini. lib. 12. And Darius had as many wiues as there are dayes in the yeere; but Salomon exceeded them all in the number of his wiues.
The number of Salomons Wiues and Concubines are reckoned diverſly, 1 King. 11.3.The reconciliation of theſe two places King 11 3 and Cant 6.8 concerning …a…omons Wiues. it is ſaid that he had ſevē hundreth wiues Princeſſes, and three hundreth Concubines: but Cant. 6.8. there are ſixtie Queenes and eightie Concubines, and Virgines without number: where he alludeth to the number of Salomons wiues: Genebrard goeth about to reconcile the places this wayes, that Salomon at the firſt had but ſixtie Queenes, and eightie Concubines; but afterward their number came to ſeven hundreth wiues, and three hundreth Concubines; but this reconciliation cannot ſtand; for then it ſhould follow that Salomon wrote the Canticles before he repented; but the true reconciliation is this, although he had ſeven hundreth Queenes,Sixtie Queenes which were in favour with him. yet he had ſixtie of them who were moſt in favour with him, and honoured by the people, and theſe are ſet downe, Cant. 6.8. and they were brought forth that day that Salomon maried Pharaohs daughter, and when they ſaw her, they praiſed her beautie and dignitie, and they ſaid, who is ſhee that looketh out at the windows as the morning; the whole number of his Wiues and Concubines ſeemeth to hauehave beene a thouſand, Eccleſ. 2.28. Of men I hauehave found one of a thouſand, but I hauehave not found a woman amongst theſe thouſands.
The Iewes reſtraint of multiplying vviues.This Law that the King ſhould not multiplie wiues, the Iewes reſtrained it to eighteene wiues; they ſay that David the King had ſixteene wiues, 2 Sam. 15.16. the King left ten women which were Concubines to keepe the houſe; theſe Concubines were his wiues, and beſides it is ſaid, 1 Chro. 3.6. that he had ſix wiues moe, in all he had ſixteene. So Rehoboam had eighteene wiues, 2 Chro. 11.21. And they adde farther, that David had ſix wiues before Nathan came to him, 2 Sam. 3.13. then the Lord ſaid unto him, 2 Sam. 12.8. if that had beene too little for thee, I would hauehave overmore given thee ſuch & ſuch things; the word is twice repeated here [Cahenna ve cahenna] quot illae quot illae, foreigntwelue moe make in all theſe eightteene wiues which David might hauehave had; and the Targum paraphraſeth that place, Deut. 17.17. Ne multiplicet uxores ultra octodecem, ne depravent cor ejus; and Salomon Iarchi upon Deut. 17. he ſhall not multiplie wiues aboue eighteene, becauſe we finde that David the King had but eighteene wiues. Yee ſee upon what a ſandie ground they build this: they ſay that David and Rehoboam brake not this commandement, becauſe they contained themſelues within the number of eighteene; but Salomon who exceeded the number, he brake the commandement.
To multiplie wiues was altogether againſt the law;Multiplying of wiues was againſt the Law. for they two ſhall be one fleſh, bindeth him as well that ſitteth upon the throne, as him that draweth the water and heweth the wood: but this to multiply horſes and gold, is but ſecundum quid againſt the Law; that is,Multiplying of horſes not altogether againſt the Law. it is not ſimply forbidden, but onelyonly for unneceſſary uſes, and to put their truſt in them; but to enable them for the defence of their Countrey, and benefit of the Eſtate; that is not forbidden.