Deuteronomy 32:8-9

When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance. In the division of the earth, which Noah is believed to have made by divine direction in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:5; Genesis 10:25; Deuteronomy 2:5; Acts 17:26), Palestine was reserved by the wisdom and goodness of Heaven for the possession of His special people, and the display of the most stupendous wonders. The theater was small, but admirably situated for the convenient observation of the human race-at the junction of the two great continents of Asia and Africa, and almost within sight of Europe. From this spot, as from a common center, the report of God's wonderful works, the glad tidings of salvation through the obedience and sufferings of His own eternal Son, might be rapidly and easily wafted to every part of the globe.

He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 'Though Peleg is not named, a division of the earth is noticed; and the relation to the number of the children of Israel may point to its 72 (12 x 6) names that occur in the text (Genesis 10:1), if we exclude Noah and his three sons' (Pye Smith, Kitto's 'Cyclopaedia,' art. 'Dispersion of Nations').

The dispersion of mankind took place in an orderly manner, according to their families and language (see the notes at Genesis 10:1), each people being guided by the secret over-ruling providence of God to the country they were destined to inherit. In this heaven-directed distribution of lands, the posterity of Canaan were located in the country of that name, the divine Proprietor having eventually assigned it to the children of Israel; and when the corruptions of the former had increased to such a height that their iniquity was full, God interposed by His judgments to exterminate them, and make way for the children of Israel. Others think that the words "according to the number of the children of Israel," are used with a special reference to the vast population of Israel in later ages, when, though they should multiply to so extraordinary an amount, the land of Canaan, by its mountain terraces, etc., was made sufficient for containing its teeming multitudes.

Another rendering, which has received the sanction of eminent scholars, has been proposed as follows: 'When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, and set the bounds of every people, the children of Israel were few in numbers, when the Lord chose that people and made Jacob His inheritance' (cf. Deuteronomy 30:5; Genesis 34:30; Psalms 105:9). [The Septuagint renders the latter clause: esteesen horia ethnoon kat' arithmon angeloon Theou, according to the number of the angels (cf. Daniel 10:13).]

Also, on the origin of the dogma of the tutelary spirits of the nation, and the popular belief of the Jews in this doctrine, supposed to have been derived from the contact with the Egyptians, who divided the earth into 70 parts, see Hody, 'On the Septuagint Version;' Hengstenberg, 'On Daniel,' p. 234; Pusey, 'On Daniel,' p. 362; Seluyn's 'Notae Criticae Deuteronomy,' p. 65; Alford, on Matthew 18:10, and on Acts 17:26.

Verse 9. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance, х chebel (H2256)] - a rope, a measuring line, a definite tract of country (see the notes at Deuteronomy 3:4; Deuteronomy 3:13).