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14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.

17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

19 And when the LORD saw it, he 'abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and "I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and 'shall burn unto the lowest hell, and 10shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23 I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.

24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with "burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth

of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.

25 The sword without, and terror 12within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

26 I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men :

27 Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should

behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, "Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this.

28 For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29 O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

30 How should "one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

34 Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?

35 To me belongeth "vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their "power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

37 And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,

38 Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be "your protection.

39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: "I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

42 I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.

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Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to

9 Or, hath burned. 10 Or, hath consumed. 11 Heb. burning coals. 14 Or, Our high hand and not the LORD hath done all this. 15 Josh. 23. 10. Rom. 12. 19. Heb. 10.30. 18 2 Mac. 7. 6. 19 Heb. hand. 20 Heb. an hiding for you. 22 Or, Praise his people, ye nations; or, sing ye. 23 Rom. 15. 10.

6 Or, which were not God. 7 Or, despised. 8 Rom. 10. 19. 12 Heb. from the chambers. 18 Heb. bereave. 16 Or, is worse than the vine of Sodom, &c. 17 Ecclus. 28. 1. 21 1 Sam, 2. 6. Tob. 13. 2. Wisd. 16. 13.

his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.

45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:

46 And he said unto them, "Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. 48 "And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,

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49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:

50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as "Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:

51 Because "ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of 9 Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.

52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.

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Verse 10. "Found him in a desert land."-" Supported him" is probably the correct meaning, as given in the Samaritan text. The Lord led the Israelites into the wilderness, and did not find them there.

-"Wasle howling wilderness."-" Howling" correctly expresses the Hebrew (yelail); but the Samaritan and Septuagint read "sandy," and are followed in some modern versions. There is, however, nothing difficult in the Hebrew reading, which probably refers to the howlings of wild beasts. The expression is still applied in the East to places frequented by wild animals.

11. "As an eagle stirreth up her nest," &c.-This most beautiful figure obviously refers to the first attempts of the parent eagle to teach her young to fly. There are many vague stories which represent the female eagle as throwing from her nest all her eggs but one, which she hatches; and others, which state that she indeed hatches more than one, but frequently destroys the most voracious of her brood. It is possible that these things may be done occasionally, as

they might be by other birds; but all our real knowledge of the habits and character of the eagle coincides with the statement here made-namely, that, on the one hand, the mother frequently rears more than one eaglet; and, on the other, she is most kind to the young she rears. But, although attentive to them while helpless in the nest, she does not encourage them in indolence when they are able to provide for themselves. She rouses them early to exertion, and to the exercise of their energies; she watches and directs, with interest and care, the first efforts to fly; and, when finally assured that their powers are sufficiently matured, obliges them to leave the parent nest, and provide for themselves in future. From this care of them while helpless, and to this careful training to exertion, the text takes its fine comparison, to illustrate the Lord's kindness to the Hebrews, his care for them, and the measures he had taken to raise them from that condition of religious, moral, and intellectual infancy into which they had fallen. Thus, to paraphrase the text, the eagle "stirreth up her brood" ("nest") from their inactivity and sloth-"fluttereth over her young," to incite them to try their wings-and "spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings;" that is, assists by her wings their first faint and feeble efforts, until, stimulated by her example, and rendered confident by the success of their first attempts, they at last plunge boldly into the air, and, exulting in strength, return to the nest of infancy no more. We believe the expression, "beareth them on her wings," must thus be understood; for whilst the eagle. may doubtless assist her young in their first efforts, and even support them with her wings when weary or in danger of falling, there seems no sufficient evidence for the story which states that the mother eagle takes the young upon her back, and, soaring up, throws them off in the higher regions of the air; where, if she perceives that they are unable to sustain themselves, she, with surprising dexterity, flies under them, and receives them on her wings to prevent their fall. That she does this literally, we may doubt; but unquestionably she does, in their first exercises, support and assist the young birds so remarkably as to afford some ground to the exaggerations which we find in the works of the old naturalists and travellers. The eagle, as intimated by the prophet Jeremiah (ch. xlix. 16), usually "dwelleth in the cleft of the rock and holdeth the height of the hill;" constructing its nest on the summits of mountains and inaccessible precipices. The very simple form of the nest will be seen from our wood-cut, which also exemplifies the care of the mother bird in providing for the wants of her helpless brood.

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13, 14. "Honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock ........ fat of kidneys of wheat.”—See the notes on Psalm lxxxi. 16.

15. “Jeshurun” ().-The word is found only here and in chap. xxxiii. 5, 26, and Isa. xliv. 2. It is undoubtedly a poetical name for Israel, but has been variously interpreted. Some look for its meaning in the Arabic, where it signifies one who prospers; others derive it from the Hebrew word (jashar), when it would mean the upright, the virtuous; but others regard it simply as the name of Israel (), with the termination, here used as a diminutive of endearment: such a reference to the name is probably intended in connection with whatever signification we may assign to the word.

23. "I will spend mine arrows upon them."-The judgments of God are frequently represented as arrows discharged by him to smite and punish a sinful people. (See Job vi. 4; Ps. xxxviii. 2, and xci. 5.) The same striking figure occurs also in the heathen poets. Thus Homer represents the pestilence in the Grecian camp as caused by the arrows of Apollo:

"The god

Down from Olympus, with his radiant bow
And his full quiver o'er his shoulder slung,
March'd in his anger; skaken as he mov'd,
His rattling arrows told of his approach.
Like night he came, and seated with the ships
In view, dispatch'd an arrow. Clang'd the cord
Dread-sounding, bounding on the silver bow:
Mules first and dogs he struck, but aiming soon
Against the Greeks themselves his bitter shafts,

Smote them. The frequent piles blaz'd night and day.

Nine days throughout the camp his arrows flew."-COWPER.

32. "Vine of Sodom."-This was doubtless one of the Cucurbitaceous family; from their climbing character called sometimes vines, The Momordica elaterium may have been the plant in question, which produces fruit that is intensely bitter, and violently purgative.

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42. "I will make mine arrous drunk with blood."-Mr. Roberts says, "This figure of speech is often used in Hindoo books; and heroes are made to say of the foe, My sword shall soon be matham (i. e. drunk or mad) with his blood.'" (Oriental Illustrations,' p. 130.)

49. “This mountain Abarim.”—See note to chap. xxxiv. 1.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

1 The majesty of God. 6 The blessings of the twelve tribes. 26 The excellency of Israel.

AND this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went 'a fiery law for them.

3 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

4 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 5 And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. 1 Heb, a fire of law.

2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came

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Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

7 ¶ And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

8 ¶ And of Levi he said, "Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;

9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

11 Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.

12 ¶ And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

13 And of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,

14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things 'put forth by the moon,

15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,

16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that 'was separated from his brethren.

17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns with them he shall push the

* Exod. 28. 30. 8 Heb, moons.

people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.

19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

20 ¶ And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he "seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

22 ¶ And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.

23¶And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in

oil.

25 "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

26¶ There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

28 12Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

3 Or, let them teach, &c. 4 Or, let them put incense.
5 Heb. at thy nose.
9 Gen. 49. 26. 10 Heb. ceiled. 11 Or, under thy shoes shall be iron.

6 Gen. 49. 25. 12 Jer. 23. 6.

7 Heb. thrust forth. 13 Or, shall be subdued.

Verse 6. "And let not his men be few."-The word "not" is not in the original; and it forms a gratuitous addition to the sacred text which ought to be rejected. The verse then reads, "Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few." As no obvious connection appears between the clauses-as there seems something wanting in the verse as thus read-and as Simeon's name is the only one that does not occur in the chapter, as now read-Biblical scholars are generally disposed to suppose that the last clause applies to him, and that his name has, from some early accident 524

or carelessness of transcribers, been dropped from the text. This opinion is supported by the Alexandrian manuscript of the Septuagint, the most ancient and valuable extant; and by the Complutensian and Aldine editions; in all of which the name of Simeon occurs. Besides, Simeon comes next in order of birth to Reuben, and therefore should here look for a passage referring to him; and also the expression, "Let his men be few," applies more correctly to Simeon than to Reuben. By the census in Num. xxvi. (see the table there), the tribe of Reuben was more numerous than Simeon, Levi, Gad, or Ephraim; while the number in Simeon was, most remarkably, the lowest of all. With this understanding, the verse will read, "Let Reuben live, and not die; and let Simeon's men be few." Zebulun and Issachar are mentioned together, with equal brevity, in verse 18. This explanation spares the necessity of speculation on the reason for the supposed omission of Simeon; or for trying to find, under the expressed declaration, in what other tribe he must be understood to be included.

9. "Nor knew his own children."-All this verse most probably refers to the zeal with which the Levites punished, without respect of persons, those who had sinned in the matter of the golden calf.

12. "He shall dwell between his shoulders."-This is generally referred to the manifestation of the Divine presence in the temple of Jerusalem, which was within the lot of Benjamin. Dr. Boothroyd renders:

"The Most High shall ever protect him,

And he shall dwell among his mountains."

14. "For the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon."-The last word is plural, " moons" (D, jerachim), in the Hebrew. The reference is probably to annual and monthly products, or, less definitely, to the products of which there was but one crop in the year, and those of which there were several crops in the course of one year. Mr. Roberts, however, informs us (Orient. Illust.,' p. 131) that the Hindoos attribute to the moon a very strong influence on vegetation. They think that, from the time of the new moon to its becoming full all plants and all kinds of young grain gain more strength than at any other period.

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19. "They shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand."-Zebulun was to have a maritime situation, and this expresses the advantages of that situation. The "abundance of the seas," is understood by some to refer to commerce. It is however difficult to discover that this or any other tribe did actually engage in maritime commerce; but both Zebulun and Issachar were doubtless advantaged by their immediate vicinity to the commercial Phoenicians. "The abundance of the seas," thus understood, they might receive from them, and dispose of advantageously to the other tribes. Might not "the abundance of the seas" partly mean sea fish? The paraphrase of Jonathan is curious and interesting, "They shall dwell near the Great Sea, and feast on the tunny fish, and catch the chalson," (or murex; see the note to Exod. xxxv.) "with whose blood they will dye of a purple colour the threads of their cloths; and from the sand they will make looking-glasses and other utensils of glass." The latter part of this citation explains the "treasures hid in the sand:" and it is certainly a remarkable fact, in connection with this text and with the particular situation of the tribes, that the Phoenicians had, in after-times, famous manufactures of glass made from the sands of the rivers Belus and Kishon, which discharge themselves into the bay of Acre; and this fixes the seat of the manufacture on the immediate borders of Zebulun and Issachar. We are not to forget that these tribes, destined to have a maritime coast, did not expel, or only partially expelled, the ancient inhabitants, and therefore did not obtain all the advantages which their obedience to the Divine command would have ensured.

22. "He shall leap from Bashan."-Not Dan, but the lion to whom he is compared. The sense is, "Dan is like the lion's whelp that leaps from Bashan." The reference is probably to the fact recorded in Judg. xviii., where we find that the proper settlement of the Danites in the south of the country (Josh. xix. 47) being too small for them, they sent out an expedition which conquered a district at the northern extremity of the land, which formed a colony very distant from the proper territory of the tribe. This might well be compared to the leap of a lion.

25. "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass."-Some understand this to mean that there would be mines of iron and

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