_MOSES COMMANDS, THAT THE WORDS OF THE LAW BE INSCRIBED ON STONES UPON MOUNT EBAL; THAT AN ALTAR OF STONE BE BUILT THERE: THAT SIX OF THE TRIBES STAND UPON MOUNT GERIZZIM TO BLESS, AND SIX UPON MOUNT EBAL TO CURSE._ _Before Christ 1451._... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 2. _ON THE DAY WHEN YE SHALL PASS OVER JORDAN_— _Day_ here, as well as in the former verse, signifies _time._ See Joshua 8:30. It is not said how many _great stones_ they were to set up; neither can we determine their number, unless we knew exactly how much of the law was to be written, wheth... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 3. _ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW_— But what law? it may be asked. They must have been immense stones to have contained the whole book of Deuteronomy, much more the whole Pentateuch: either therefore the _ten commandments,_ or the _blessings_ and _curses,_ must be meant. 1. Mr. Locke says, _all t... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 4, 5. _IN MOUNT EBAL_— Dr. Parry has given a very just turn to this passage, remarking well from Noldius, that we should not read _in mount Ebal,_ but BY _mount Ebal,_ as, in the 12th and 13th verses, UPON _mount Gerizzim,_ and UPON _mount Ebal,_ should be BY _mount Gerizzim,_ and BY _mount E... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 5. _AN ALTAR OF STONES_— It does not seem probable, that the altar was built of the _very same stones_ on which the law was engraven; for this evident reason, that the altar was to be built of stones, rough, unhewn, untouched by any tool; whereas some hard tool or instrument of metal was nece... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 7. _THOU SHALT OFFER PEACE-OFFERINGS_— As these offerings concerned the whole people, and all were to _eat of them, and rejoice before the Lord:_ the opinion we have advanced of the altar's being placed in the midst of the plain gains great confirmation from hence; it being extremely improbab... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 12. _UPON MOUNT GERIZZIM_— _By mount Gerizzim._ To _bless the people,_ that is, by saying _Amen_ when they heard the blessings pronounced by the priests. See ver. 14, 15. The priests seem clearly to have stood round about the ark, placed near the altar in the valley between the two mountains;... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 15. _CURSED BE THE MAN THAT MAKETH,_ &C.— The people being to bless, as well as to curse, the _Mischna_ seems very justly to explain it thus: that first the priests, turning their faces towards mount _Gerizzim,_ proclaimed aloud, _Blessed be the man that maketh not any graven image;_ upon whi... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 26. C_URSED BE HE THAT CONFIRMETH NOT ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW_— The original word, here rendered _confirmeth,_ is very properly translated _performeth,_ 1 Samuel 15:11. The performing of what God commands being a kind of establishment of the law, as disobedience is a subversion, and, as far... [ Continue Reading ]