1-5 Moses' speech in the end of the fortieth year 6-13 briefly rehearsing the history of God's sending them from Horeb 14-18 of giving them officers 19-33 of sending the spies to search the land 34-40 of his anger for their incredulity 41-46 and disobedience

on this Nu 32:5,19,32 34:15 35:14 Jos 9:1,10 22:4,7

Red sea. or, Zuph. Or rather, Suph. This could not have been the {Red Sea}, not only because the word {yam}, `sea,' is not joined with it as usual, but because they were now east of Jordan, and farther from the Red Sea than ever. It seems to be the same which is called {Suphah} in Nu 21:14; which must necessarily signify some {place} in or adjoining to the plains of Moab, and not far from the Jordan and Arnon. Ptolemy mentions a people called {Sophonites} that dwelt in Arabia Petraea, who may have taken their name from this place.

Paran Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Diaahab, seem to have been either {places} or {cities} not far from the plains of Moab; for it is evident that Paran and Hazeroth could not have been those near the Red sea, and not far from Horeb. De 33:2 Ge 21:21 Nu 10:12 12:16 13:3,26 1Sa 25:1 Hab 3:3

Hazeroth Nu 11:35 33:17,18

2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)

by the way De 1:44 2:4,8 Nu 20:17-21

unto Le 2:14 9:23 Nu 13:26 32:8 Jos 14:6

3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

Nu 20:1 33:38

4 After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:

De 2:26-37 3:1-11 Nu 21:21-35 Jos 12:2-6 13:10-12 Ne 9:22 Ps 135:11 136:19,20

5 On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,

to declare De 4:8 17:18,19 31:9 32:46

6 The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

in Horeb De 5:2 Ex 3:1 17:6

ye have Ex 19:1,2 Nu 10:11-13

7 Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

the mount Ge 15:16-21 Ex 23:31 Nu 34:3-12 Jos 24:15 Am 2:9

all the places [heb] all his neighbours
in the plain De 11:11 Jos 10:40 11:16,17

the great De 11:24 Jos 1:4 2Sa 8:3 1Ch 5:9 18:3

8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

set [heb] given
which Ge 12:7 13:14,15 15:16,18 17:7,8 22:16-18 26:3,4 28:13,14

9 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

I am not Ex 18:18 Nu 11:11-14,17

10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.

your God De 10:22 28:62 Ge 15:5 22:17 28:14 Ex 12:37 32:13 Nu 1:46 1Ch 27:23 Ne 9:23

ye are this day
This was the promise made by God to Abraham Ge 15:5,6

which Moses considers now as amply fulfilled. Many suppose the expression to be hyperbolical; and others, no friends to revelation, think it a vain, empty boast, because the stars, in their apprehension,, amount to innumerable millions. But, as this refers to the number of stars that appear to the naked eye, which only amount to about 3010 in both hemispheres, the number of the Israelites far exceeded this; for independently of women and children, at the last census, they amounted to more than 600,000.

11 (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

make you 2Sa 24:3 1Ch 21:3 Ps 115:14

and bless you Ge 15:5 22:17 26:4 49:25 Ex 32:13 Nu 6:27 22:12

12 How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

De 1:9 Ex 18:13-16 Nu 11:11-15 1Ki 8:7-9 Ps 89:19 2Co 2:16 3:5

13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.

Take [heb] Give Ex 18:21 Nu 11:16,17 Ac 1:21-23 6:2-6

14 And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.

15 So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.

I took De 16:18 Ex 18:25,26

made [heb] gave Eph 4:11

captains over thousands Nu 31:14 1Sa 8:12 17:18 22:7

16 And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.

charged De 27:11 31:14 Nu 27:19 1Th 2:11 1Ti 5:21 6:17

Hear Ex 23:2,3,7,8 Le 19:15 2Sa 23:3 2Ch 19:6-10 Ps 58:1 Joh 7:24

the stranger De 10:18,19 24:14 Ex 22:21 23:9 Le 24:22

17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.

shall not De 10:17 16:19 Le 19:15 1Sa 16:7 2Sa 14:14 Pr 24:23 Lu 20:21 Ac 10:34,35 Ro 2:11 Eph 6:9 Col 3:25 Jas 2:1,3,9 1Pe 1:17

respect persons [heb] acknowledge faces. That is, let not the bold, daring countenances of the rich or mightily induce you to give an unrighteous decision; and let not the abject look of the poor man induce you either to favour him in an unrighteous cause, or to give judgment against him at the demand of the oppressor.

ye shall hear Ex 23:3,6,7 1Sa 12:3,4 Job 22:6-9 29:11-17 31:13-16 Ps 82:3,4 Pr 22:22,23 Jer 5:28,29 Am 5:11,12 Mic 2:1-3 3:1-4 7:3,4 Jas 2:2-4,5

ye shall not 1Ki 21:8-14 Job 31:34 Pr 29:25 Jer 1:17 Mt 22:16 Mr 12:14 1Th 2:4

the judgment 2Ch 19:6

the cause De 17:8-10 Ex 18:18,22,26

18 And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.

De 4:5,40 12:28,32 Mt 28:20 Ac 20:20,27

19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.

through De 8:15 32:10 Nu 10:12 Jer 2:6

we came De 1:2 Nu 13:26

20 And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.

the mountain De 1:7,8

21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

fear not De 20:1 Nu 13:30 14:8,9 Jos 1:9 Ps 27:1-3 46:1,7,11 Isa 41:10 43:1,2 Lu 12:32 Heb 13:6

22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

We will send The people proposed this measure through unbelief; Moses, mistaking their motive, approved of it, and God, being justly displeased, permitted them to follow their own counsel, which proved injurious to them only through their sin and folly Nu 13:1-20

23 And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:

De 13:3

24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

Nu 13:21-27 Jos 2:1,2

25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.

26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:

Nu 14:1-4 Ps 106:24,25 Isa 63:10 Ac 7:51

27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

The Lord hated us De 9:28 Ex 16:3,8 Nu 14:3 21:5 Mt 25:24 Lu 19:21

28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

discouraged [heb] melted De 20:8 Ex 15:15 Jos 2:9,11,24 14:8 Isa 13:7 Eze 21:7

The people De 9:1,2 Nu 13:28-33

walled That is, with very high walls, which could not be easily scaled. Harmer says, high walls are still to be seen in Arabia, and are deemed a sufficient defence against the Arabs, who scarcely ever attempt to plunder except on horseback. The monastery on Mount Sinai, and the convent of St. Anthony in Egypt, are surrounded with a very high wall, without gates; the persons and things being taken up and let down through an opening in the upper part, by means of a pulley and a basket. This kind of walling is a sufficient defence.

we have seen De 9:2 Jos 11:22 15:14 Jud 1:10,20 2Sa 21:16-22

29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.

De 1:21

30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;

he shall De 20:1-4 Ex 14:14,25 Jos 10:42 1Sa 17:45,46 2Ch 14:11,12 32:8 Ne 4:20 Ps 46:11 Isa 8:9,10 Ro 8:31,37

according Ex 7:1-25 15:1-27 Ps 78:11-13,43-51 105:27-36

31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

in the wilderness Ex 16:1-17:16 Ne 9:12-23 Ps 78:14-28 105:39-41

bare thee De 32:11,12 Ex 19:4 Nu 11:11,12,14 Isa 40:11 46:3,4 63:9 Ho 11:3,4 Ac 13:18

32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

2Ch 20:20 Ps 78:22 106:24 Isa 7:9 Heb 3:12,18,19 Jude 1:5

33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

Who went Ex 13:21 Nu 10:33 Ps 77:20 Eze 20:6

in fire Ex 13:21,22 14:19,20,24 40:34-38 Nu 9:15-22 10:11,12 14:14 Ne 9:12 Ps 78:14 105:39 Isa 4:5,6 Zec 2:5

34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,

and sware De 2:14,15 Nu 14:22-30 32:8-13 Ps 95:11 Eze 20:15 Heb 3:8-11

35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.

36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

Caleb Nu 13:6,20 26:65 32:12 34:19 Jos 14:6-14 Jud 1:12-15

wholly followed [heb] fulfilled to go after Nu 14:24

37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

De 3:23-26 4:21 34:4 Nu 20:12 27:13,14 Ps 106:32,33

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

Joshua Nu 13:8,16 14:30,38 26:65

which standeth Ex 17:9-14 24:13 33:11 1Sa 16:22 Pr 22:29

encourage him De 3:28 31:7,8,14,23 Nu 27:18-23 Jos 1:1,6-9

39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

your little Nu 14:3,31

which in Isa 7:15,16 Jon 4:11 Ro 9:11 Eph 2:3

40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

Nu 14:25

41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.

We have sinned Nu 14:39,40 22:34 Pr 19:3

42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.

Go not up Nu 14:41,42

for I am not Le 26:17 Jos 7:8-13 1Sa 4:2,10 Isa 30:17 59:1,2 Ho 9:12

43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.

but rebelled Isa 63:10 Ac 7:51 Ro 8:7,8

went presumptuously up [heb] ye were presumptuous and went up Nu 14:44

44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

chased you When bees are provoked or disturbed, the whole swarm attack and pursue whatever annoys them, with great courage and fury, and sometimes are a formidable enemy. They were so troublesome in some districts of Crete, that, according to Pliny, the inhabitants were actually compelled to forsake their homes. AElian reports, that some places in Scythia were formerly inaccessible on account of the numerous swarms of bees with which they were infested. Mr. Park relates, that some of his associates imprudently attempted to rob a numerous hive which they found in their way. The exasperated little animals rushed out to defend their property, and attacked them with so much fury, that they quickly compelled the whole company of men, horses, and asses, to scamper off in all directions, The horses were never recovered, and a number of the asses were so severely stung, that they died the next day. De 28:25 32:30 Ps 118:12 Isa 7:18

unto Hormah Nu 14:45 21:3

45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

Ps 78:34 Heb 12:17

46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.

Nu 14:25,34 20:1,22 Jud 11:16,17