Thou art old — Therefore delay not to do the work which I have commanded thee to do. It is good for those that are stricken in years, to be remembered that they are so: that they may be quickened to do the work of life, and prepare for death which is coming on apace.... [ Continue Reading ]
Remaineth — Unconquered by thee, and to be conquered by the Israelites, if they behave themselves aright. All Geshuri — A people in the northeast of Canaan, as the Philistines are on the southwest.... [ Continue Reading ]
Counted to the Canaanites — That is, which though now possessed by the Philistines, who drove out the Canaanites the old inhabitants of it, Deuteronomy 2:23; Amos 9:7, yet is a part of the land of Canaan, and therefore belongs to the Israelites. The Avites — Or, the Avims, as they are called, Deuter... [ Continue Reading ]
From the south — That is, from those southern parts of the sea — coast, now possessed by the Philistines, all the more northern parts of the sea — coast being yet inhibited by the Canaanites, almost as far as Sidon. The Amorites — The Amorites were a very strong and numerous people, and we find them... [ Continue Reading ]
Will I drive out — Whatever becomes of us, however we may be laid aside as broken vessels, God will do his work in his own time. I will do it by my word; so the Chaldee here, as in many other places: by the eternal word, the captain of my host. But the promise of driving them out from before the chi... [ Continue Reading ]
Which Moses gave them — By my command, and therefore do not thou disturb them in their possessions, but proceed to divide the other possessions to the rest.... [ Continue Reading ]
Medeba unto Dibon — Two cities anciently belonging to the Moabites, and taken from them by the Amorites, Numbers 21:30, and from them by the Israelites; and after the Israelites were gone into captivity, recovered by the first possessors, the Moabites.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Maacathites — Whose land God had given to the Israelites without Jordan, though they had not yet used the gift of God, nor taken possession of it, as is noted, Joshua 13:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
These did Moses smite — Not all now mentioned, but Sihon and Og, and their people, and the generality of them.... [ Continue Reading ]
He gave — That is, Moses. None inheritance — Namely, in the land beyond Jordan, where yet a considerable part of the Levites were to have their settled abode. This is mentioned as the reason both why Moses gave all that land to the Reubenites and Gadites and Manassites; and why Joshua should divide... [ Continue Reading ]
According to their families — Dividing the inheritance into as many parts as they had families; but this is only spoken of the greater families; for the lesser distributions to the several small families was done by inferior officers, according to the rules which Moses gave them.... [ Continue Reading ]
In the mount of the valley — In the mountain bordering upon that valley, which then was famous among the Israelites; whether that where Moses was buried, which was near to Beth — peor, Deuteronomy 34:1, Deuteronomy 34:6, or some other. And this clause is thought to belong to all the cities now menti... [ Continue Reading ]
Cities of the plain — Opposed to the cities of the mountain of the valley. All the kingdom of Sihon — A great part of it; in which sense we read of all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, Matthew 3:5, and all Galilee, Matthew 4:23. Whom Moses smote — Not in the same time or battle, as appe... [ Continue Reading ]
Were slain by them — This was recorded before, Numbers 31:8, and is here repeated, because the defeating of Balaam's purpose to curse Israel, and the turning that curse into a blessing, was such an instance of the power and goodness of God, as was fit to be had in everlasting remembrance.... [ Continue Reading ]
The border thereof — That is, those cities or places which bordered upon Jordan.... [ Continue Reading ]
The cities of Gilead — That is, all the cities of eminency; all the cities properly so called, which lay in that part of Gilead; and so this may well agree with Joshua 13:31, where half the country of Gilead is said to be given to the Manassites; but there is no mention of any cities there. The land... [ Continue Reading ]
Ramath — mizpeh — Called Ramoth — Gilead, or Ramoth in Gilead. Mahanaim — Exclusively; for Mahanaim was in the portion of Manasseh, beyond Jabbok, which was the border of Gad and Manasseh.... [ Continue Reading ]
The rest of the kingdom — The northern part of his kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
Of Manasseh — Not that thou desired it, as Reuben and Gad did, Numbers 32:1, but partly as a recompence to Machir the Manassite, for his valiant acts against Og; and partly for the better defence of the other two tribes, by so considerable an accession to them, which also was without any inconvenien... [ Continue Reading ]
Of Jair — Who, though of the tribe of Judah, by the father, 1 Chronicles 2:21, yet is called the son of Manasseh, Numbers 32:41, because he married a daughter of Manasseh, and wholly associated himself with those valiant Manassites; and with their help took sixty cities or great towns, Deuteronomy 3... [ Continue Reading ]
Children of Machir — Whom before he called the children of Manasseh, he now calls the children of Machir, because Machir was the most eminent, and as it may seem, the only surviving son of Manasseh, Numbers 26:29; 1 Chronicles 7:14.... [ Continue Reading ]