_Age. Josue was now 100 years old. He lived ten more, (Calmet) having governed the people in all 17. (Haydock) --- During the first seven years, he had performed all that could be expected from an able general, and he probably designed to conquer the whole country before he divided it. But God, who... [ Continue Reading ]
_Galilee. As Josue had been making such conquests in that part lately, some would translate Geliloth, "the confines" of the Philistines, in which sense it seems to be taken, chap. xviii. 18., and xxii. 10. (Calmet) --- Bonfrere suspects that St. Jerome wrote Galila. --- Gessuri, either near Mount He... [ Continue Reading ]
Egypt. Hebrew, "from the Shicor, (or Sichor) which is on the face, (or over-against) Egypt." Jeremias (ii. 18,) informs us that this river was in Egypt which is not true of the torrent of Rhinocorure; which the Septuagint and many commentators, understand in this place to be the boundary fixed for t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Chanaan. From the south to Sidon was yet undivided, and thence eastward, (Haydock) to Apheca of Syria, were was the capital of the kings of that country, and a famous temple of Venus, 3 Kings xx. 26. (Sozom. i. 58.) --- Amorrhite, or perhaps Aramean, (Calmet) though we may understand that all the c... [ Continue Reading ]
_With whom. That is, with the other half of that same tribe._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Aroer, and part of the town of Dibon, belonged to Gad, Numbers xxxii. 34._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Day. The Israelites were satisfied with what they had already conquered. (Menochius) --- But herein they deserved blame, as they were ordered to reduce them entirely, and never suffer them to continue their idolatrous practices in the country which God had chosen for his people. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Victims. Hebrew, "the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire."_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Mephaath, near the desert, where the Romans afterwards kept a garrison. It was given to the Levites, but was seized by the Moabites after the reign of David. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_The princes of Madian. It appears from hence that these were subjects of king Sehon: they are said to have been slain with him, that is, about the same time, but not in the same battle. (Challoner) --- After the death of their sovereign, they looked upon themselves as independent. They had reigned... [ Continue Reading ]
_Slain. Septuagint, "they slew Balaam....with the sword in the moment," Numbers xxii. 5., and xxxi. 8. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER XIII.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rabba, "the great," being a title of Ar, the capital of the Moabites. The Israelites thought themselves justified in keeping what had been taken from the children of Ammon, by Sehon, (Judges xi. 13.; Calmet) and the Amorrhites. (Worthington)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Betharan, which was enlarged by Herod, and called Livias, or Julias, as the Greeks called Livia, the wife of Augustus, Julia. (Josephus) --- Saphon, or "the northern part of," &c._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Towns, which were conquered by Jair, of the tribe of Juda; though he belonged, in some degree, to that of Manasses, by his grandmother, Numbers xxxii. 41._... [ Continue Reading ]