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NOTES.

NOTE 1. On Numb. x. 5: "When ye blow an alarm."

. The root signifies both frangere and jubilare. The former meaning refers to the brokenness and interruptedness of the sound emitted by the trumpet. The correlative term is which means, broken, prolonged sound."

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to cause an un

NOTE 2. On the pillar of cloud, Numb. ix. 15. When the cloud was stationary, it stood directly over the tabernacle; when it gave the signal to remove the camp, it quitted its position over the tabernacle, and took its place directly over the banner of the tribe of Judah, which was always in the van on a march (Numb. x. 14). Twice a day, when on a march, the cloud rested-at dinner and supper time; and it invariably rested all night1.

"You will ask, perhaps," says Corn. à Lapide, "how were the people to know whether the resting of the cloud would be of a longer duration than ordinary, so as to be a signal for them to remain in any given place? Thus: if, in the afternoon, when dinner was over, the cloud remained stationary, then they were to pitch their tents. Again: if, at dawn of day, when it was time to rise, the cloud still remained stationary, this was a sign that they were to remain where they were, at least till the afternoon meal was over."

The instant the cloud moved, the priests took up the ark and bore it upon their shoulders, Moses, the meanwhile, saying, "Rise up, Jehovah, and scattered be Thine enemies; and let all who hate Thee flee before Thee." Again, when the pillar rested, the priests set down the ark, and Moses, as if inviting the Lord to take up His residence again in the midst of the host, said, "Return, Jehovah, to the multitude of the host of Israel."

NOTE 3. On Numb. ix. 16: " By day."

This is not in the Hebrew here, but it is at Exod. xl. 38. The Jews have many examples of this sort of omission. See Ps. xci. 7.

NOTE 4. On Numb. ix. 19: "And when the cloud tarried."

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seem to imply that the pillar was lengthened out, or shortened; and that these alterations in its length were regarded by the people as indications of the will of Jehovah respecting their movements and stations.

NOTE 5. On Numb. ix. 19: "Kept the charge of the Lord."

(Ps.

"Kept the Lord's watch :" were on the watch for the rising of the cloud." And journeyed not," or " moved not," till the Lord bade them. "As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters." cxxiii. 2.) See ver. 23. "At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents; and at the commandment of the Lord," &c. Some interpret: "Then they had leisure for the service of the tabernacle," because in these cases it was set up.

NOTE 6. On Numb. ix. 5: "And they kept the passover in the wilderness of Sinai."

To the fact that the Jews kept but one Passover in the wilderness, Amos alludes when he says (v. 25), "Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?" "Nam," says Drusius, "quod semel duntaxat fit, pro non factum habetur. Scitum illud, Una hirundo non facit cer." The reason was, they could not prepare to eat the Passover unless they knew beforehand that they were to remain a sufficiently long time in the same place. But this was impossible to be foreseen; therefore they kept not the Passover. Here (at Sinai) they observed it, because they had an express Divine command to do

So.

NOTE 7. On Numb. ix. 6: "And there were certain men, who were defiled with the dead body of a man," &c.

Mr. Blunt, in his "Scripture Coincidences," shows, with singular ingenuity, that it is very probable that these men were no other than Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron (Lev. x. 4), who had carried out the corpses of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. x. 1-5).

NOTE 8. On Numb. ix. 7.

ph, "for a dead body;" literally, “for a soul." This Hebraism ought to be noticed in the margin wherever it occurs in the Old Testament. We have a signal instance of it in Ps. xvi. 10: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell."

SECTION CXLVII.

EXODUS XVIII. 1-26. NUMBERS XXXIII. 16. X. 11-13.
14-28. 29-32. EXODUS XVIII. 27.

TITLE.-Christian kindred is blessed, and Christian friendship strengthened, by unity in religious opinions. The meeting of Jethro, or Hobab, with Moses at Sinai. Five things are essential to the outward influence, and the inward happiness, of the most religious believer,-judgment, integrity, disinterestedness, piety, and prudence. The advice of Jethro to Moses. Jethro returns to Midian. Some of his family proceed with Moses.

INTRODUCTION.-The time had now arrived when the encampment at Sinai was to end, and the people were to proceed on their journey. They had received the laws which made them the peculiar people of Jehovah, which separated them from the idolatrous nations around them, which have preserved that people as distinct from all others, as we ourselves still observe them to be, and which will continue to keep them so, till the promised day when the fulness of the Gentiles shall be completed by the conversion of the Jews to the purer faith of Him, who, though He was the Prophet like unto Moses, was still the Prophet greater than Moses. Immediately before their removal (if the learned commentators from whom we have harmonized the narratives have correctly arranged the history), Jethro, or Hobab, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, came from Midian, which was probably not very far from Sinai, with Zipporah and his two sons. If we interpret rightly the Fourth Chapter of Exodus, we have reason to believe that Zipporah, the wife of Moses, left her husband when on the road to Egypt, to go back to her father in Midian. It is supposed that she was induced to do so by the danger to which her son's life would be exposed after his circumcision, if she proceeded with him on his journey. She now returned with his father and children to Moses. The leader of Israel went out to meet them (ver. 7). Mutual embraces and congratulations followed. Jethro acknowledged the greatness of the God of Israel; and the whole family, with the elders of Israel, commemorated their reunion, by partaking of a public sacrifice, and celebrating the mercy which had delivered them from Egypt.

We are much mistaken if we suppose that the knowledge of the one true God was confined to the children of Israel. Though the old patriarchal religion was rapidly yielding to the influence of an increasing idolatry, and the people of Israel were the appointed means of preserving, upholding, and continuing the true faith, yet the one religion originally taught to the ancestors of all mankind was not forgotten, and the God of Israel was the God of all who had not apostatized. Therefore it was that Jethro and his daughter, and Moses and Aaron, could meet at one altar, partake of one sacrifice, and unite in the same worship. If they had not been able to do this, they could have had no true friendship,

even though they were united by the ties of kindred and nation. Modern liberality, it is true, may permit the ties of relationship and friendship, when the objects of those ties cannot and do not pray and worship together. But in those earlier ages of the world, division in opinion was separation of heart, though not necessarily the cause of more extensive hatred. And though we are not compelled to believe that alienation of heart from heart, is the unavoidable result of differences of religious worship and religious creed, we may be assured that identity of faith, and the power of kneeling together and uttering the words of the same prayers and praises, is one source of greater love in married life, and one great strength of friendship in the intimacies which are formed in the world. Differences of opinion do not imply hatred; but agreement in opinion implies the causes and sources of kindness and union.

After their partaking of the sacrifice, which cemented and confirmed their affection, Jethro observes and comments upon the incessant labour which devolved upon Moses in consequence of his undertaking the sole government of the people, and the management of their several disputes. He advised the leader of Israel to discontinue the sole superintendence of all the causes which were brought before him, and to select from among the elders of the people some assistants who should release him from the lesser causes, while he should still retain the power of deciding in the more weighty and graver matters. The suggestion was acted upon; and it has been supposed by many expositors that the selection of judges and coadjutors now made by Moses was the origin of the great Sanhedrim, or perpetual representative senate of the Jewish nation. He was advised to select persons who united the four chief qualifications which ought ever to distinguish the magistracy of a people. They were to be known for sound judgment in their understanding, for integrity of principle, for disinterestedness in action, and for piety in motive. When this had been arranged, the twelfth journey of the people began. They removed from Sinai, and proceeded to a place called Kibroth-hattaavah, going through Taberah, where an occurrence took place, which we shall consider in the next Section. The pillar of cloud and of fire preceded them, and rested, apparently in the first evening after their departure, in the wilderness of Paran; and here it was that a conversation took place between Jethro and Moses, which has excited much remark among the objectors to the truth of the Mosaic narrative. The object of Jethro in restoring his daughter to Moses, and in renewing his friendship with his son-in-law, being now accomplished, Jethro, a king and priest of Midian, became anxious to return to his duties in his own country. Moses solicited him to remain in the camp of Israel. He not only reminded him of the blessing which he should receive in common with Israel, but he added, that Jethro would be most useful to the Israelites in guiding them through the wilderness. "Thou shalt be to us instead of eyes." It has been said that the pillar of cloud and of fire guided the people through the wilderness; whence, then, could be the necessity of the services of Jethro, or Hobab? The pillar of cloud and of fire, we answer, guided the people from station to station, without directing them in the minutenesses and particularities of the details of their journeyings and encamp

ments.

These were to be discovered by the warnings or the testimonies of strangers, by their own researches, and by their own prudence. Jethro returned to Midian; but another person of the same name, probably his son, is represented in the Book of Judges (i. 16), as attending the people, and his descendants became inheritors with them of the promised land. It was with Moses and the Israelites, as it is with us. They were directed and guided by the pillar of cloud and of fire through the wilderness to the land of Canaan; yet in all the lesser matters of detail they were governed by their own prudence, and by their own rulers, without losing sight of their heavenly director. So it is with us in this world. We are directed and guided through life to death, and from death to heaven, by that Holy Scripture which giveth light in midnight darkness, and refreshment in mid-day heat; but we are left, without losing sight of our heavenly Director, in all questions relating to the details of life, to our own prudence, our own counsels, or to the prudence and counsels of those to whom we may look for advice and that alone is true wisdom in the lesser troubles, perplexities, and varied details of the journey, which reconciles the minor questions of common life with the higher sanctions, and truths, and motives, which will ever sanctify the observer of the solemn lessons of revelation. Religion will not always supply the place of prudence; prudence will not supply the place of religion. That Christian is wise who unites the two. He is wise who so blends the heavenly motive with the details of his worldly conduct, that his religion and his prudence be one action. He alone is wise, who, making religion and prudence his joint guides, performs all his duties to God, to his neighbour, and to himself, as the one great happiness which blends his conduct on earth with the anticipation and the guidance of heaven.

CHRIST

1491.

EXODUS XVIII. 1-26.
Arrival of Jethro.

BEFORE 1 When a Jethro, the other was || Eliezer; for the priest of Midian, Moses' God of my father, said he, ch. 2. 16. & father in law, heard of all was mine help, and deli3. 1. that God had done for vered me from the sword

b Ps. 44. 1. &

78. 4. & 105.

5, 43. & 106.

2, 8.

BEFORE CHRIST 1491.

That is, My God is an

help.

77. 14, 15. & Moses, and for Israel his of Pharaoh : people, and that the LORD 5 And Jethro, Moses' had brought Israel out of father in law, came with Egypt; his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the 'ch. 3. 1, 12. mount of God:

ch. 4. 26.

d Acts 7. 29. ⚫ ch. 2. 22.

2 Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,

3 And her two sons; of which the name of the That is, 4 one was Gershom; for

stranger there.

6 And he said unto
Moses, I thy father in law
Jethro am come unto thee,
and thy wife, and her two
he said, I have been an sons with her.
alien in a strange land:

8 Gen. 14. 17.

7 ¶ And Moses went & 18. 2. & 19. 4 And the name of the out to meet his father in 1 Kings 2.19.

1.

BEFORE

CHRIST

law, and did obeisance, morning unto the even1491. and kissed him; and they ing.

h

b Gen. 29. 13. asked each other of their

& 33. 4. + Heb. peace,

Gen. 43. 27. into the tent.

2 Sam. 11. 7.

BEFORE CHRIST 1491.

14 And when Moses' welfare; and they came father in law saw all that he did to the people, he 8 And Moses told his said, What is this thing father in law all that the that thou doest to the LORD had done unto Pha- people? why sittest thou raoh and to the Egyptians thyself alone, and all the for Israel's sake, and all people stand by thee from + Heb. found the travail that had +come morning unto even? Gen. 44. 34. upon them by the way, 15 And Moses said unand how the LORD ideli- to his father in law, Be81.7. & 106. vered them. cause the people come Lev. 24. 12. me to enquire

them,

Numb. 20. 14. i Ps. 78. 42. &

10. & 107. 2.

Numb. 15. 34.

of

a

9 And Jethro rejoiced unto for all the goodness which God: the LORD had done to Is- 16 When they have rael, whom he had deli- matter, they come unto vered out of the hand of me; and I judge between the Egyptians. †one and another, and 10 And Jethro said, do make them know the Gen. 14. 20. k Blessed be the LORD, statutes of God, and his who hath delivered you laws.

2 Sam. 18. 28. Luke 1. 68.

I

out of the hand of the 17 And Moses' father Egyptians, and out of the in law said unto him, The hand of Pharaoh, who hath thing that thou doest is delivered the people from not good. under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now 12 Chron. 2.5. the LORD is 97.9. & 135.5. all gods:

1

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18 Thou wilt surely + Heb. wear away, both thou, and will fade. I know that this people that is with greater than thee: for this thing is too m for in the heavy for thee; thou art Numb. 11. 22. & 5.2, 7. & thing wherein they dealt not able to perform it thy- Deut. 1.9, 12. 14. 8, 18. "proudly he was above self alone.

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Job 40. 11, 12. 12 And Jethro, Moses' my voice, I will give thee
Ps. 31. 23. & father in law, took a burnt counsel, and God
offering and sacrifices for be with thee: Be thou
God and Aaron came, "for the people to
and all the elders of Is- ward, that thou
rael, to eat bread with bring the causes
0 be- God:

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21, 31.

X

20. 19.

God-ch. 4. 16. & mayest Deut 5. 5.

unto Numb. 27. 5.

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13¶ And it came to them ordinances and laws,

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pass on the morrow, that and shalt shew them the Ps. 143. 8.
Moses sat to judge the way wherein they must
people and the people walk, and a the work that⚫ Deut. 1. 18.
stood by Moses from the they must do.

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