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Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 Printed in the United States of America COMMENTARIES THE BOOK OF JOSHUA BY JOHN CALVIN TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN, AND COLLATED WITH THE FRENCH EDITION, BY HENRY BEVERIDGE, ESQ E╗ E╗ BAKER BOOK HOUSE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49516 THE CALVIN TRANSLATION SOCIETY, INSTITUTED IN MAT M.DCCC.XLIir, FOR THE PUBLICATION OP TRANSLATIONS OF THE WORKS OF JOHN CALVIN. COMMENTARIES THE BOOK OF JOSHUA TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. The Commentary on Joshua was the last literary labour of its venerable Author. When he engaged in it, his constitution, which had never been strong, was completely worn out by excessive exertion, and almost every line of it must have been dictated to his amanuensis during momentary intervals of relief from severe bodily pain. On this point we possess authentic documents which leave no room for doubt. In a letter dated 30th November 1563, not quite six months before his death, after alluding to the difficulty he felt in continuing his studies, while both mind and body were exhausted by sickness, he states that he had undertaken a Commentary on Joshua, in compliance with the wishes of his friends, but had not then been able to advance beyond the third Chapter, though he had endeavoured to be as brief as possible. Little more than two months after this letter was written, on 6th February 1564, he made his appearance in the pulpit for the last time ; and on 10th March following, the complication of diseases which too plainly indicated that his earthly career was about to close, had become so alarming as to cause an entry in the Register of Geneva in the following terms :Ч" Arr&te" que chacun prie Dieu pour la sante de M. Calvin, qui est indispose depuis longtemps, et m&me en danger de mort:"Ч" Decreed that every one pray to God for the health of Mr. Calvin, who has been indisposed for a long time, and even in danger of death." Such are the circumstances in which this Commentary was composed, and it is impossible, in reflecting on them, VI TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. not to admire the indomitable energy which Calvin displayed in proceeding with his task, and in meeting the remonstrances of those who would have withdrawn him from it, with the heroic exclamation, " Would you that the Lord, when He comes, should find me idle I" A Work written at such a time, and in such a spirit, might justly claim exemption from criticism ; but it has no need of indulgence, and can well afford to be judged by its own intrinsic merits. Viewed merely as an intellectual effort, it displays all the excellencies which characterize the other Commentaries of its distinguished Author: viewed in a higher and better light, it is his dying bequest to the ChurchЧa solemn ratification of the whole System of Doctrine which he had so long, so earnestly, and so successfully promulgated. H. B. December 30, 1854. CONTENTS. Commentaries on the Book of Joshua, . .17 A New Translation of Calvin's Version of the Book of Joshua, . . . .184 Indices to the Commentaries on the Book of Joshua, ..... 325 CALVIN'S ARGUMENT OF THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. As to the author of this Boole, it is better to suspend our judgment than to make random assertions. Those who think that it was Joshua, because his name stands on the title page, rest on weak and insufficient grounds. The name of Samuel is inscribed on a part of the Sacred History containing a narrative of events which happened after his death; and there cannot be a doubt that the book which immediately follows the present is called Judges, not because it was written by them, but because it recounts their exploits. Joshua died before the taking of Hebron and Debir, and yet an account of it is given in the 15th chapter of the present Book. The probability is, that a summary of events was framed by the high priest Eleazar, and furnished the materials out of which the Book of Joshua was composed. It was a proper part of the high priest's duty not only to give oral instruction to the people of his own time, but to furnish posterity with a record of the goodness of God in preserving the Church, and thus provide for the advancement of true religion. And before the Levites became degenerate, their order included a class of scribes or notaries who embodied in a perpetual register everything in the history of the Church which was worthy of being recorded. Let us not hesitate, therefore, to pass over a matter which we are XVU1 CALVIN S ARGUMENT OF unable to determine, or the knowledge of which is not very necessary, while we are in no doubt as to the essential point Чthat the doctrine herein contained was dictated by the Holy Spirit for our use, and confers benefits of no ordinary kind on those who attentively peruse it.1 Although the people had already gained signal victories, and become the occupants of a commodious and tolerably fertile tract of country, the Divine promise as to the land of Canaan still remained suspended. Nay, the leading article in the Covenant was unaccomplished, as if God, after cooping up his people in a corner, had left his work in a shapeless 1 This practical conclusion, which is indeed the only one of real importance, is founded partly on the general consent of the Church, evinced by the place which the Book of Joshua has always held in the Sacred Canon, and partly on the strong sanction given to it by the direct or indirect references and quotations of the other inspired writers both of the Old and the New Testament, e.g., 1 Kings xvi. 34 ; Psalms xliv.; lxviii. 12-14; lxxviii. 54, 55; cxiv. 4, 5; Hab. iii. 11; Acts vii. 45; Heb. iv. 8; xi. 30, 31; xiii. 5; and James ii. 25. The authorship, however, is so uncertain, that there is scarcely a writer of eminence from the period of the history itself down to the time of Ezra, for whom the honour has not been claimed. Among others may be mentioned Phinehas, Samuel, and Isaiah. The obvious inference is, that the question of authorship is one of those destined only to be agitated but never satisfactorily determined. The opinion above stated by Calvin is perhaps as plausible as any other, though he scarcely appreciates the claims which may be urged in favour of Joshua himself. It is, of course, impossible to attribute to him either the narrative of his own death, or the references to one or two events which happened subsequent to it. Such anachronisms, if they may be so called, only prove what has never been denied, that some insertions or interpolations have been made in the original work. But as the account of the death of Moses in the last book of the Pentateuch is not allowed to cast any doubt on the claim of Moses to have been the true author, it is not easy to see why similar insertions should be supposed to have any stronger effect in regard to the claim of Joshua. In addition to the evidence furnished by those passages in which the writer speaks as an eye-witness, and an actor in the events recorded, those who attribute the Book to Joshua find a strong argument in the position which Joshua occupied. He was not only the divinely appointed successor, but the ardent admirer and diligent imitator of Moses. Is it reasonable to suppose, that while imitating him in the general principles of his government, he forgot to imitate him in the use of his pen, or that he was not as careful as Moses had been to draw up a written narrative of the wonderful events which the Lord performed by his hand? The important fact that Joshua did write is distinctly stated in chapter xxiv. 26; and though the writing there referred to seems to have been confined to the narrative of a special event, analogy goes far to justify the inference, that what he did on this occasion was in accordance with his usual practice, and that the record which we now possess of his eventful life, is, in substance at least, the production of his pen.Ч Ed. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. XIX and mutilated form. This Book, then, shews how, when the intolerable impiety of the people had interrupted the course of deliverance, God, while inflicting punishment, so tempered the severity of justice as ultimately to perform what he had promised concerning the inheritance of Canaan. This suggests the very useful reflection, that while men are cut off by death, and fail in the middle of their career, the faithfulness of God never fails. On the death of Moses a sad change seemed impending; the people were left like a body with its head lopped off. While thus in danger of dispersion, not only did the truth of God prove itself to be immortal, but it was shewn in the person of Joshua as in a bright mirror, that when God takes away those whom he has adorned with special gifts, he has others in readiness to supply their place, and that though he is pleased for a time to give excellent gifts to some, his mighty power is not tied down to them, but he is able, as often as seemeth to him good, to find fit successors, nay, to raise up from the very stones persons qualified to perform illustrious deeds. First, we see how, when the wandering of forty years in the wilderness had almost effaced the remembrance of the passage of the Red Sea, the course of deliverance was proved to have been uninterrupted by the repetition of the same miracle in the passage of the Jordan. The renewal of circumcision was equivalent to a re-establishment of the Covenant which had been buried in oblivion by the carelessness of the people, or abandoned by them from despair. Next, we see how they were conducted by the hand of God into possession of the promised land. The taking of the first city was an earnest of the perpetual aid which they might hope for from heaven, since the walls of Jericho fell of their own accord, shaken merely by the sound of trumpets. The nations, however, were not completely routed by a single battle, nor in one short campaign, but were gradually worn out and destroyed by many laborious contests. Here, it is to be observed, that arduous difficulties were thrown in the way of the people when the kings entered into a league, and came forth to meet them with united forces, XX CALVIN S ARGUMENT OF because it became necessary not only to war with single nations, but with an immense body which threatened to overwhelm them by one great onset. Ultimately, however, all these violent attempts had no other effect than to make the power of God more manifest, and give brighter displays of mercy and faithfulness in the defence of his chosen people. In fact, their uninterrupted course of success, and their many unparalleled victories, shewed the hand of God as it were visibly stretched forth from heaven. More especially, a signal proof that they were warring under divine auspices was given when the sun was checked in his course at the mere prayer of Joshua, as if the elements had been armed for his assistance, and were waiting ready to obey him. Again, while the delays which occurred in the progress of the war were useful trials of the constancy of the people, we must not lose sight of another admirable use of which Moses, to prevent them from fainting in their minds, had at an earlier period forewarned them, viz., that God was unwilling to destroy the nations at once, lest the country, from being converted into a kind of desert, might be overrun by wild beasts. But the provision which God had thus most graciously made for their security, they wickedly perverted to their own destruction: for having obtained what they deemed a large enough space for commodious habitation, they turned backwards to indulge in sloth and cowardice. This one crime brought others along with it. For after they had been enrolled under the banners of the Lord, they treacherously and disobediently refused to fulfil their period of service, in the very same way as deserters, regardless of the military oath, basely quit their standards.1 The dominion of the land, which had been divinely offered, they, with 1 The French here is,Ч" Car tout ainsi comme des gendarmes fuyars, qui laissent vilainement leur enseigne, oublians le serment par lequel ils se sont obligez, ils furent traitres et perjures a Dieu, sous lequel ils estoyent enrollez pour servir tout le temps par luy ordonne;" " For just like fugitive soldiers, who villanously desert their standards, forgetting the oath by which they have bound themselves, they became perjured traitors to God under whom they were enlisted to serve for the whole period ordained by him."ЧEd. THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. XXI flagrant ingratitude, rejected, by taking possession of only a part. Moreover, though they had been ordered to purge the sacred territory of all pollutions, in order that no profanation of the pure and legitimate worship might remain, they allowed the impious superstitions which God abhorred to be practised as before; and though they also knew that the order had been partly given as a security for their own safety, lest, through intermixture with the nations, they might be ensnared by their impostures and insidious arts, yet, as if they had determined to court danger, they left them to furnish the fuel of a dire conflagration. Their obstinate incredulity betrays itself in their disregard of the penalty denounced against such transgression. But they at length learned by experience that God had not threatened in vain, that those nations whom they had wickedly1 spared, would prove to them thorns and stings. For they were harassed by constant incursions, pillaged by rapine, and at length almost oppressed by tyrannical violence. In short, it was not owing to any merit of theirs that the truth of God did not utterly fail.2 On this point, indeed, a question may be raised: for if the promise given to Abraham was founded on the mere good pleasure of God,3 then, be the character of the people what it might, it is absurd to say that it could be defeated by their fault. How are we to reconcile the two things,Ч that the people did not obtain the full and complete inheritance promised to them, and that yet God was true? I answer, that so far was the faithfulness of God* from being overthrown, or shaken, or in any way impaired, that we 1" Wickedly." Latin, " Male." French," Oontre leur devoir;" л Contrary to their duty."ЧEd. 8 " Did not utterly fail." Latin, лIrrita caderet." French, " Ne tom-bast tout a plat sans avoir son effet;" " Did not fall quite flat without producing its effect."ЧEd. ' " Was founded on the mere good pleasure of God." French, " A este purement et simplement fondee au bon plaisir de Dieu, et non ailleurs;" " Was founded purely and simply on the good pleasure of God, and not on anything else."ЧEd. 4 л Faithfulness of God." Latin, " Dei fides." French, " La certitude de la promesse de Dieu;" " The certainty of the promise of God."ЧEd. X XII CALVIN S ARGUMENT OF here perceive more clearly how wonderful are His workings, who, in unsearchable wisdom, knows how to bring light out of darkness. It had been said to Abraham, (Gen. xv. 18,) To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. Joshua affirms that the event drew near, and was actually at hand. But the Israelites, overcome by sloth, do not reach those boundaries; nay, in settling down of their own accord within narrow limits, they in a manner oppose barriers to the divine liberality. In this way the covenant of God seemed to suffer a kind of eclipse. And there is no doubt that pious minds were often filled with anxiety when they saw His work cut short. But the punishment inflicted on the people for their wickedness was so tempered, that what might otherwise have been a grievous and perilous trial of faith, was converted into a powerful support. The apparent failure reminded the children of God that they were to look forward to a more excellent state, where the divine favour would be more clearly displayed, nay, would be freed from every obstruction, and shine forth in full splendour. Hence their thoughts were raised to Christ, and it was made known to them that the complete felicity of the Church depended on its Head. In arriving at this conclusion, they were assisted by new prophecies. For the rehearsal which Joshua here makes of the ancient covenant is applied in the Psalms (Ps. lxxii. and lxxxix.) to the Messiah's reign, unto which time, the Lord had, for the purpose of rendering it more glorious, deferred the full fruition of the promised land. The same thing was exemplified in David, who bore a typical resemblance to Christ, and in whom it was shewn that the divine promises were only established and confirmed in the hand of a Mediator. No longer, therefore, does it seem strange that the result promised, after being retarded by the wickedness of the people, was not fully accomplished till the state of the Church was rightly arranged, seeing that in the person of David the image of the Mediator, on whom the perfect felicity of the Church depended, was visibly held forth to view. Mean- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA, XX111 while the moderate foretaste which believers received of the divine favour, must have sufficed to sustain1 them, preparatory to the more complete realization. Nor, indeed, was the partition made by Joshua and the heads of the tribes, to whom that duty was intrusted, elusory or fallacious; but the inheritance, in possession of which God had placed them by His own hand, was truly and distinctly divided by His orders. In this respect, too, the sacred observance of the covenant made with Abraham was conspicuous. Jacob, when about to die, had destined certain settlements to some of his children. Had each tribe received its portion simply by the determination and suffrages of men, it might have been thought that they had merely followed the directions of the Patriarch. But when the lot, than which nothing is deemed more fortuitous, confirmed the prophecy, the stability of the donation2 was as clearly ratified as if God had visibly appeared. Accordingly, after the sluggishness of the people put an end to the war, Joshua sent back the tribes of Reuben and Gad, with the half tribe of Manasseh, as if their period of service had expired. Next follows a remarkable narrative, clearly shewing how zealous the Israelites who dwelt in the land of Canaan were to maintain the pure worship of God. For when these two tribes and half tribe had erected a monument of fraternal alliance, the others, thinking that it was an altar intended for sacrifice, and consequently an abomination, immediately determine to declare war, and prepare sooner to destroy their kindred3 than allow religion to be torn asunder by a bastard worship. At the same time they are commended for their moderation, in being so easily appeased on obtaining satisfaction, after a sacred zeal had suddenly roused them to arms. 1 " Sustain." French, " Consoler et soustenir;" " Comfort and sustain." ЧEd. ' "Stability of the donation." Latin," Donationis stabilitas." French, " La verite de la prophetie;" " The truth of the prophecy."ЧEd. ' " Sooner to destroy their kindred." Latin, " Suos consanguineos potius delere." French, " De plutost exterminer leur cousins, c'est a dire ces lignees-laquiestoyentdeleur sang;" "Soonerto exterminate their cousins, (kindred,) that is to say, lineage which was of their own blood."ЧEd. XXIV CALVIN S ARGUMENT OF THE BOOK OP JOSHUA. In the end of the book it is shewn how anxious Joshua was to advance the glory of God,1 and how diligently he endeavoured to obviate the fickleness and treachery of the people. With this view, not only the most impressive exhortations, but protestations, were employed, and more especially the covenant was renewed in regular form with the solemnity of an oath.2 1 Latin, " Quantopere solicitus fuerit Josue de propaganda Dei gloria." French, " Combien Josue a ete songneux de procurer qu'apres sa mort Dieu fust glorifie;" " How careful Joshua was to provide that God should be glorified after his death."ЧEd. ' In addition to the above excellent summary, it may be proper to mention that the Book of Joshua extends over a period, estimated by Josephus at twenty-five, and by other Jewish chronologists at twenty-seyen, though others attempt to reduce it to only seventeen years, and that its contents are naturally divided into three great sections,Чthe first extending from chapter i.-xii. inclusive, and giving a continuous narrative of Joshua's conquests; the second from chapter xiii.-xxiii. inclusive, consisting chiefly of a description more or less detailed of the division of the country among the different tribes; and the third occupying the remainder of the book, principally with an account of the great convention of the tribes held at Shechom, on Joshua's summons, and of the interesting and important proceedings which then took place.ЧEd. A BRIEF COMMENTARY THE BOOK OF JOSHUA BY JOHN CALVIN, A SHORT TIME BEFORE HIS DEATH. CHAPTER I. 1. Fuit autem post mortem Mosis, ut Jehova alloqueretur Josue, di-cendo,1 1. Now, after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2. Moses my servant is dead: now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea, toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 1. Now, after, &c. Here, first, we see the steadfastness of God in watching over his people, and providing for their 1 The copulative particle which commences the Book, and is usually translated and, or, as in our English version, now, evidently connects it with some previous writing, and seems to vindicate the place which it holds in the Canon as a continuation of the Book of Deuteronomy. In this first verse, Calvin's Latin version omits the epithets, " Servant of the Lord," and " Moses' minister," applied respectively to Joshua and Moses. The Hebrew contains both, but the former is omitted by the ordinary text of the Septuagint, though placed among its various readings.ЧEd. 2. Moses servus meus mortuus est: nunc ergo surge, trajice Jor-danem istum tu, et omnis hie popu-lus, ad terrain quam ego do illis, nempe filiis Israel. 3. Omnem locum quern calcaverit planta pedis vestri vobis dedi; quem-admodum locutus sum Mosi. 4. A deserto et Libano isto usque ad flumen magnum, flumen Euphra-ten, tota terra Bittseorum usque ad mare magnum ad occasum sous, erit terminus vester. 26 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. 2. safety. The sanction given to Joshua's appointment, as new leader by a renewed commission,1 was intended to indicate the continuance of his favour, and prevent the people from thinking themselves forsaken in consequence of the death of Moses. Joshua, indeed, had already been chosen to rule the people ; and not only invested with the office, but also endowed with spiritual gifts. But as the most valiant, however well provided, are apt to halt or waver when the period for action arrives, the exhortation to Joshua to make ready forthwith for the expedition was by no means superfluous. Still, however, the call thus formally given was not so much on his own account, as to inspire the people with full confidence in following a leader whom they saw advancing step by step in the path divinely marked out for him.2 2. Moses my servant, &c. A twofold meaning may be extractedЧthe one, since Moses is dead, the whole burden has now devolved upon thee, take the place of him to whom thou hast been appointed successor ; the other, although Moses is dead, do not desist, but go forward. I prefer the former, as containing the inference that he should, by right of succession, take up the office which Moses had left vacant.3 The epithet or surname of servant applied to Moses, has respect to his government of the people and his exploits; for it ought to be accommodated to actual circumstances.4 The allusion here is not to the Law but to the leadership, which had passed to Joshua by the decease of Moses, and God thus acknowledges his servant, not so much with the view of praising him, as of strengthening the authority of Joshua, who had been substituted in his place. And as the people might not have acquiesced sufficiently in a bare command, he promises, while ordering them to pass the Jordan, 1 " A renewed commission." Latin," Repetitis mandatis." French, "En reiterant les articles de sa commission;" " By reiterating the articles of his commission."ЧEd. 2 Or rather, " Who they saw, did not advance a single step till the Lord had preceded him."ЧEd. 3 " Which Moses had left vacant." Latin, " Ex qua decesserat Moses." French, " De laquelle Moyse estoit sorti ayant fait son temps;" " Which Moses had left, having held his own time of it."ЧEd. 4 "To actual circumstances." Latin," Ad eircumstantiam loci." French , " A la circonstance du passage;" " To the circumstance of the passage."Ч Ed. CHAP. 1.4. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 27 to give them peaceable possession of the whole country, and of every spot of it on which they should plant their foot. For as nothing tends more than distrust to make us sluggish and useless, so when God holds forth a happy issue, confidence inspires us with vigour for any attempt. It maybe added, that he does now begin for the first time to give them good hopes, by making a promise of which they had not previously heard, but recalls to their remembrance what Moses had formerly testified. He says, therefore, that the time had now come for exhibiting and performing that which he had promised to Moses. Should any one object that the same thing had been said to Abraham long before Moses was born, nay, that the perpetual covenant deposited with Abraham included everything which was heard by Moses four hundred years after i1 I answer, that here no notice is taken of the ancient promise which was everywhere known and celebrated, and that Moses is produced as a witness whose memory was more recent, and by whose death the confidence of the people might have been shaken, had not God declared that the accomplishment of all which he had said was at hand. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, &c. How the truth and fulfilment of this promise surmounted all the obstacles interposed by the wickedness of the people, though they did not obtain immediate possession of the whole territory, I have explained in the Argument. For although God had unfolded the inestimable treasures of his beneficence by constituting them lords of the country, it did not follow that their misconduct was not to be chastised. Nay, there behoved to be a fulfilment of the threatening which Moses had denounced, viz., that if the nations doomed to destruction were not destroyed, they would prove thorns and stings in their eyes and sides. But as the promise was by no means 1 The French here gives the same meaning in a paraphrastic form, " Ou mesmes qu'a parler proprement, tout ce qui a este dit a Moyse de-pendoit de l'alliance perpetuelle que Dieu avoit mise en garde entre les mains d'Abraham quatre cens ans auparavant." " Or even, to speak properly, all that was said to Moses depended on the perpetual covenant which God had deposited in the hands of Abraham four hundred years before."Ч^. 28 COMMENTAKY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. 4. broken or rendered void by the delay of forty years, during which they were led wandering through the desert, so the entire possession, though long suspended, proved the faithfulness of the decree by which it had been adjudged. The people had it in their power to obtain possession of the prescribed boundaries in due time; they declined to do so. For this they deserved to have been expelled altogether.1 But the divine indulgence granted them an extent of territory sufficient for their commodious habitation ; and although it had been foretold that, in just punishment, the residue of the nations whom they spared would prove pernicious to them, still, they suffered no molestation, unless when they provoked the Divine anger by their perfidy and almost continual defection: for as often as their affairs became prosperous, they turned aside to wantonness. Still, owing to the wonderful goodness of God, when oppressed by the violence of the enemy, and, as it were, thrust down to the grave, they continued to live in death ; and not only so, but every now and then deliverers arose, and, contrary to all hope, retrieved them from ruin.2 The Great Sea means the Mediterranean, and to it the land of the Hittites forms the opposite boundary; in the same way Lebanon is opposed to the Euphrates; but it must be observed that under Lebanon the desert is comprehended, as appears from another passage.3 1 The two last sentences form only one in the French, which is as follows, " Le peuple pouuoit du premier coup, et des l'entree s'estendre jusqu'aux bornes que Dieu lui mesme auoit marquees; il n'a pas voulu: il estoit bien digne d'en estre mis dehors, et du tout forclos." "The people might at the first blow, and immediately on their entrance, have extended themselves to the limits which God himself had marked ; they would not: they well deserved to be put out and wholly foreclosed."ЧEd. 2 Latin, " Qui prseter spem rebus perditis succurrerent;" French, " Qui outre toute esperance venoyent a remedier aux affaires si fort deplorez, et redresser aucunement l'estat du peuple;" " Who, beyond all hope, came to remedy the very deplorable affairs, and, in some degree, restore the condition of the people."ЧEd. 1 Calvin's language here is not very clear, and seems to convey an erroneous impression. The desert or wilderness, instead of being comprehended under Lebanon, is obviously contrasted with it, and forms the south, while Lebanon forms the north frontier. We have thus three great natural boundaries^ЧLebanon on the north, the desert of Sin on the south, and the Mediterranean on the west. The eastern boundary occasions more difficulty. According to some, the Euphrates is expressly mentioned as this CHAP. I. 5. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 29 5. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6. Be strong, and of a good courage ; for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7. Only be thou strong, and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9. Have not I commanded thee ? Be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. 5. Non consistet quisquam contra te cunctis diebus vitse ture; quia sicuti fui cum Mose, ita ero tecum; non te deseram, neque derelinquam. 6. Conflrmare, ergo, et roborare; quia tu in hsereditatem divides po-pulo huic terram, de qua juravi pa-tribus eorum me daturum illis. 7. Tantum confirm are et roborare vehementer: ut custodias et facias secundum totam legem quam prse-cepit tibi Moses servus meus; non recedes ad dextram vel ad sinistram ut prudenter (yel prospere) agas in omnibus. 8. Non recedat liber legis hujus ab ore tuo ; sed mediteris in eo, die et nocte, ut custodias et facias, secundum id totum quod scriptum est in eo. Tune enim secundas reddes vias tuas, et tune prudenter ages. 9. Nonne prsecepi tibi, ut te con-firmes, et te robores ? Ne formides, neque animo frangaris; quoniam tecum sum Jehova Deus tuus in omnibus ad quse tu pergis. 5. There shall not any man, &c. As a contest was about to be waged with numerous and warlike enemies, it was necessary thus to inspire Joshua with special confidence. But for this, the promise of delivering over the land which God boundary, and an attempt is made to reconcile the vast difference between the actual possession of the Israelites, even in the most prosperous period of their history, and the tract of country thus bounded, by having recourse to the explanation of St. Augustine, who, in his Commentary on Jos. xxi., gives it as his opinion that the country extending eastward beyond the proper limits of Canaan was intended to be given not so much for possession as for tribute. This view receives some confirmation from the extensive conquests which were made by David and Solomon. According to other expositors, the Euphrates is intended to be taken in connection with Lebanon so as to form, by one of its windings or branches, part of the north boundary, while the east boundary is left indefinite, or rather, was so well denned by the Jordan that it did not require to be separately mentioned. In this general uncertainty, there is much practical wisdom in Calvin's suggestion in his Argument, that the indefiniteness of the boundaries assigned to the promised land, contrasted with its actual limits, tended to elevate the minds of Old Testament believers, and carry them beyond the present to a period when, under a new and more glorious dispensation, the promise would be completely fulfilled.ЧEd. 30 COMMENTAKY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. 6. had given, would ever and anon have become darkened ; for how vast the enterprise to overthrow so many nations! This objection therefore is removed. And the better to free him from all doubt, he is reminded of the victories of Moses, by which God had made it manifest that nothing was easier for him than utterly to discomfit any host however great and powerful. Joshua, therefore, is ordered to behold in the assistance given to Moses the future issue of the wars which he was to undertake under the same guidance and protection. For the series of favours is continued without interruption to the successor. What follows is to the same effect, though it is more fully expressed by the words, / will not fail thee, &c. Hence the Apostle, (Heb. xiii. 5,) when wishing to draw off believers from avarice, makes an application of these words for the purpose of calming down all anxieties, and suppressing all excessive fears. And in fact, the distrust which arises from anxiety kindles in us such tumultuous feelings that on the least appearance of danger, we turmoil and miserably torment ourselves until we feel assured that God both will be with us and more than suffice for our protection. And, indeed, while he prescribes no other cure for our timidity, he reminds us that we ought to be satisfied with his present aid. 6. Be strong, &c. An exhortation to fortitude is added, and indeed repeated, that it may make the deeper impression. At the same time the promise is introduced in different words, in which Joshua is assured of his divine call, that he might have no hesitation in undertaking the office which had been divinely committed to him, nor begin to waver midway on being obliged to contend with obstacles. It would not have been enough for him diligently to begirt himself at the outset without being well prepared to persevere in the struggle. Although it is the property of faith to animate us to strenuous exertion, in the same way as unbelief manifests itself by cowardice or cessation of effort, still we may infer from this passage, that bare promises are not sufficiently energetic without the additional stimulus of exhortation. For if Joshua, who was always remarkable for alacrity, re- CHAP. I. 6. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 31 quired to be incited to the performance of duty, how much more necessary must it be that we who labour under so much sluggishness should be spurred forward. We may add, that not once only or by one single expression are strength and constancy required of Joshua, but he is confirmed repeatedly and in various terms, because he was to be engaged in many and various contests. He is told to be of strong and invincible courage. Although these two epithets make it obvious that God was giving commandment concerning a most serious matter, still not contented with this reduplication, he immediately after repeats the sentence, and even amplifies it by the addition of the adverb very. From this passage, therefore, let us learn that we can never be fit for executing difficult and arduous matters unless we exert our utmost endeavours, both because our abilities are weak, and Satan rudely assails us, and there is nothing we are more inclined to than to relax our efforts.1 But, as many exert their strength to no purpose in making erroneous or desultory attempts, it is added as a true source of fortitude that Joshua shall make it his constant study to observe the Law. By this we are taught that the only way in which we can become truly invincible is by striving to yield a faithful obedience to God. Otherwise it were better to lie indolent and effeminate than to be hurried on by headlong audacity. Moreover, God would not only have his servant to be strong in keeping the Law, but enjoins him to contend manfully, so as not to faint under the burden of his laborious office. But as he might become involved in doubt as to the mode of disentangling himself in matters of perplexity, or as to the course which he ought to adopt, he refers him to the teaching of the Law, because by following it as a guide he will be sufficiently fitted for all things. He says, You shall act prudently in all things, provided you make the Law your master; although the Hebrew word 7.3г?, means to act not 1 French, " Et il ne faut qu'un rien pour nous faire perdre courage ;'* " And a mere nothing is all that is necessary to make us lose courage."Ч Ed. 32 COMMENTARY ON JOSH CA. CHAP. I. 8. only prudently but successfully, because temerity usually pays the penalty of failure. Be this as it may, by submitting entirely to the teaching of the Law he is more surely animated to hope for divine assistance. For it is of great consequence, when our fears are excited by impending dangers, to feel assured that we have the approbation of God in whatever we do, inasmuch as we have no other object in view than to obey his commands. Moreover, as it would not be enough to obey God in any kind of way,1 Joshua is exhorted to practise a modesty and sobriety which may keep him within the bounds of a simple obedience. Many, while possessed of right intention, sometimes imagine themselves to be wiser than they ought, and hence either overlook many things through carelessness, or mix up their own counsels with the divine commands. The general prohibition, therefore, contained in the Law, forbidding all men to add to it or detract from it, God now specially enforces on Joshua. For if private individuals in forming their plan of life behove to submit themselves to God, much more necessary must this be for those who hold rule among the people. But if this great man needed this curb of modesty that he might not overstep his limits, how intolerable the audacity if we, who fall so far short of him, arrogate to ourselves greater license ? More especially, however, did God prescribe the rule to his servant, in order that those who excel in honour might know that they are as much bound to obey it as the meanest of the people. 8. This book ofthe Law, &c. Assiduous meditation on the Law is also commanded; because, whenever it is intermitted, even for a short time, many errors readily creep in, and the memory becomes rusted, so that many, after ceasing from the continuous study of it, engage in practical business, as if they were mere ignorant tyros. God therefore enjoins his servant to make daily progress, and never cease, during the whole course of his life, to profit in the Law. Hence it fol- 1 The French adds, " Ou en quelques points;" " Or in some points."Ч Ed. CHAP. I. 8. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. S3 lows that those who hold this study in disdain, are blinded by intolerable arrogance. But why does he forbid him to allow the Law to depart from his mouth rather than from his eyes ? Some interpreters understand that the mouth is here used by synecdoche for face ; but this is frigid. I have no doubt that the word used is peculiarly applicable to a person who was bound to prosecute the study in question, not only for himself individually, but for the whole people placed under his rule. He is enjoined, therefore, to attend to the teaching of the Law, that in accordance with the office committed to him, he may bring forward what he has learned for the common benefit of the people. At the same time he is ordered to make his own docility a pattern of obedience to others. For many, by talking and discoursing, have the Law in their mouth, but are very bad keepers of it. Both things, therefore, are commanded, that by teaching others, he may make his own conduct and whole character conformable to the same rule. What follows in the second clause of the verse shews, that everything which profane men endeavour to accomplish in contempt of the word of God, must ultimately fail of success, and that however prosperous the commencement may sometimes seem to be, the issue will be disastrous ; because prosperous results can be hoped for only from the divine favour, which is justly withheld from counsels rashly adopted, and from all arrogance of which contempt of God himself is the usual accompaniment. Let believers, therefore, in order that their affairs may turn out as they wish, conciliate the divine blessing alike by diligence in learning and by fidelity in obeying. In the end of the verse, because the term used is ambiguous, as I have already observed, the sentence is repeated, or a second promise is added. The latter is the view I take. For it was most suitable, that after the promised success, Joshua should be reminded that men never act skilfully and regularly except in so far as they allow themselves to be ruled by the word of God. Accordingly, the prudence which believers learn from the word of God^ is opposed to the con- S-i COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. 9. fidence of those who deem their own sense sufficient to guide them aright.1 9. Have not I commanded, &c. Although in Hebrew a simple affirmation is often made in the form of a question, and this phraseology is of very frequent occurrence, here, however, the question is emphatic, to give an attestation to what had previously been taught, while the Lord, by bringing his own authority distinctly forward, relieves his servant from care and hesitancy. He asks, Is it not I who have commanded thee ? I too will be present with thee. Observe the emphasis: inasmuch as it is not lawful to resist his command.2 This passage also teaches that nothing is more effectual to produce confidence than when trusting to the call and the command of God, and feeling fully assured df it in our own conscience, we follow whithersoever he is pleased to lead. 10. Then Joshua commanded the 10. Tune prsecepit Josue prse-officers of the people, saying, fectis populi dicendo, 11. Pass through the host, and 11. Transite per medium cas-command the people, saying, Pre- trorum et pnecipite populo, dicendo, pare you victuals ; for within three Parate vobis annonam : quia post Says ye shall pass over this Jordan, tres dies transibitis Jordanem hunc, to go in to possess the land, which ut intretis et possideatis terram, the Lord your God giveth you to quam Jehova Deus vester dat vobis possess it. possidendam. 12. And to the Reubenites, and 12. Ad Reubenitas vero et Gadi-to the Gadites, and to half the tribe tas et dimidiam tribum Manasse of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, locutus est Josue, dicendo, 13. Remember the word which 13.Recordaminiverbiquodprsece-Moses, the servant of the Lord, pit vobis Moses servus Jehovas, di-commanded you, saying, The Lord cendo, Jehova Deus vester reddidit your God hath given you rest, and vos quietos et dedit vobis terram hath given you this land. hanc: 14. Your wives, your little ones, 14. Uxores vestrse, parvuli ves-and your cattle, shall remain in the tri, et pecora vestra residebunt in 1 The French paraphrases the whole sentence thus : " Ainsi la prudence et sagesse que les fideles apprennent de la parole de Dieu, est opposee a l'assurance de ceux auxquels il semble bien qu'ils se gouvernent assez dis-cretement et sagement, quand ils besongnent selon leur propre sens;" " Thus the prudence and wisdom which believers learn from the word of God, is opposed to the assurance of those who think they govern themselves discreetly and wisely enough, when they manage according to their own sense."ЧEd. 2 French, " C'est bien pour certain avec grande signifiance que ceci se dit d'autant qu'il n'est pas question de resister a son commandement;" " It is certainly with great significancy that this is said, inasmuch as there is no question of resisting his command."ЧEd. CHAP. I. 10. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 35 terra quam dedit vobis Moses trans Jordanem; vos autem transibitis armati ante fratres vestros, quicun-que erunt viri bellicosi, juvabitis-que eos, 15. Donee quietem prsestiterit Jehova fratribus vestris sicut vobis, et possideant ipsi quoque terram quam Jehova Deus vester dat eis: et tune redibitis ad terram haaredi-tatis vestrse, possidebitisque earn quam dedit vobis Moses servus Je-hovse ultra Jordanem ad exortum solis. 16. Tune responderunt, dicendo, Omnia quse prsecepisti nobis facie-mus, et ad omnia ad quse miseris nos, ibimus. 17. Sicut in omnibus obedivimus Mosi, sic obediemus tibi: tantum sit Jehova Deus tuus tecum sicut fuit cum Mose. 18. Quisquis fuerit qui rebella-verit ore tuo, nee verbis tuis acquie-verit in omnibus quse ei mandaveris, interficiatur. Tantum confirmare et roborare. land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 15. Until the Lord have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the Lord your God giveth them; then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses, the Lord's servant, gave you on this side Jordan, toward the sun-rising. 16. And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. 17. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. 18. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words, in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong, and of a good courage. 10. Then Joshua commanded? &c. It may be doubted whether or not this proclamation was made after the spies 1 It is almost impossible to doubt that the view here taken is correct, and in confirmation of it, it may be observed, that it receives more countenance from the original than appears either from Calvin's or our English version. They have both rendered the first word of the tenth verse by " Then," as if meaning, " At that precise time;" whereas the Hebrew is simply the copulative ), which only means " And," and is accordingly here rendered in the Septuagint by xxl It implies, indeed, that the order issued to the prefects by Joshua was given subsequently to the gracious and encouraging message which he had received, but not that it was given immediately or at that particular instant, and it thus leaves it open for us to infer, that a period of less or greater length intervened during which the spies were sent on their mission, and the proceedings detailed in the second chapter took place. The sacred writer in thus omitting to follow the order of time in his narrative, has only adopted a method which is often convenient in itself, and which has been repeatedly followed by the most celebrated historians, both of ancient and modern times, and nothing can be more absurd than the inference attempted to be drawn chiefly by some German Rationalists, from this and a few similar apparent anachronisms, that the Book of Joshua is not so much a continuous history as a patchwork of distinct or even contradictory narratives by different writers.ЧEd. 36 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. ]0 were sent, and of course on their return. And certainly I think it not only probable, but I am fully convinced that it was only after their report furnished him with, the knowledge he required, that he resolved to move his camp. It would have been preposterous haste to hurry on an unknown path, while he considered it expedient to be informed on many points before setting foot on a hostile territory. Nor is there anything novel in neglecting the order of time, and afterwards interweaving what had been omitted. The second chapter must therefore be regarded as a kind of interposed parenthesis, explaining to the reader more fully what had happened, when Joshua at length commanded the people to collect their vessels. After all necessary matters had been ascertained, he saw it was high time to proceed, and issued a proclamation, ordering the people to make ready for the campaign. With the utmost confidence he declares that they will pass the Jordan after the lapse of three days : this he never would have ventured to do, without the suggestion of the Spirit. No one had attempted the ford, nor did there seem to be any hope that it could be done.1 There was no means of crossing either by a bridge or by boats : and nothing could be easier for the enemy than to prevent the passage. The only thing, therefore, that remained was for God to transport them miraculously. This Joshua hoped for not at random, nor at his own hand, but as a matter which had been divinely revealed. The faith of the people also was conspicuous in the promptitude of their obedience : for, in the view of the great difficulties which presented themselves, they never would have complied so readily had they not cast their 1 This must be taken with some qualification, since, according to the view taken by Calvin himself, the river must, before this, haye been forded by the spies, both in going and returning ; and it is also obvious, from the direction which their pursuers took, in endeavouring to overtake them, that what are called " the fords," must have been understood to be practicable, even during the season of overflow. Still a spot or two where an individual might manage to cross was altogether unavailable for such a body as the Israelites, and therefore Calvin's subsequent statement cannot be disputed, that if they were to cross at all, human agency was unavailing, and the only thing which remained was for God himself to transport them miraculously.ЧEd. CHAP. I. 12. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 37 care upon God. It cannot be doubted that He inspired their minds with this alacrity, in order to remove all the obstacles which might delay the fulfilment of the promise. 12. And to the Reubenites, &c. An inheritance had been granted them beyond the Jordan, on the condition that they should continue to perform military service with their brethren in expelling the nations of Canaan. Joshua therefore now exhorts them to fulfil their promise, to leave their wives, their children, and all their effects behind, to cross the Jordan, and not desist from carrying on the war till they had placed their brethren in peaceable possession. In urging them so to act, he employs two arguments, the one drawn from authority and the other from equity. He therefore reminds them of the command given them by Moses, from whose decision it was not lawful to deviate, since it was well known to all that he uttered nothing of himself, but only what God had dictated by his mouth. At the same time, without actually asserting, Joshua indirectly insinuates, that they are bound, by compact, inasmuch as they had engaged to act in this manner.1 He next moves them by motives of equity, that there might be no inequality in the condition of those to whom the same inheritance had been destined in common. It would be very incongruous, he says, that your brethren should be incurring danger, or, at least, toiling in carrying on war, and that you should be enjoying all the comforts of a peaceful settlement. When he orders them to precede or pass before, the meaning is, not that they were to be the first to enter into conflict with the enemy, and in all emergencies which might befall them, were to bear more than their own share of the burden; he only in this way urges them to move with alacrity, as it would have been a kind of tergiversation to keep in the rear and follow slowly in the track of others. The expression, 1 The agreement made with Moses was very explicit. As recorded in the thirty-second chapter of Numbers, he distinctly stipulates that they shall " go armed before the Lord to war," " armed over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him, and the land be subdued before the Lord;" and they answer, " As the Lord hath said unto thy servants so will we do: we will pass over armed before the Lord, into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance on this side Jordan may be ours."ЧEd. 38 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. I. 16. pass before your brethren, therefore, does not mean to stand in the front of the battle, but simply to observe their ranks, and thereby give proof of ready zeal. For it is certain that as they were arranged in four divisions they advanced in the same order. As he calls them men of war, we may infer, as will elsewhere more clearly appear, that the aged, and others not robust, were permitted to remain at home in charge of the common welfare, or altogether relieved from public duty, if in any way disabled from performing it. 16. And they answered, &c. They not only acquiesce, but freely admit and explicitly detail the obedience which they owe. Our obligations are duly discharged only when we perform them cheerfully, and not in sadness, as Paul expresses it. (2 Cor. ix. 7.) If it is objected that there is little modesty in their boast of having been obedient to Moses whom they had often contradicted, I answer, that though they did not always follow with becoming ardour, yet they were so much disposed to obey, that their moderation was not only tolerable, but worthy of the highest praise, when it is considered how proudly their fathers rebelled, and how perversely they endeavoured to shake off a yoke divinely imposed upon them. For the persons who speak here were not those rebellious spirits of whom God complains (Psalm xcv. 8-11) that he was provoked by them, but persons who, subdued by the examples of punishment, had learned quietly to submit.1 Indeed, it is not so much to herald their own virtues as to extol the authority of Joshua, when they declare that they will regard him in the same light in which they regarded Moses. The groundwork of their confidence is at the same time expressed in their wish or prayer, that God may be present to assist his servant Joshua as he assisted his ser- 1 The objection taken to the modesty of the answer seems to be founded on a misinterpretation of its true meaning. For the original, literally interpreted, does not contain any assertion that they had obeyed Moses in all things, as implied both in Calvin's Latin and in our English version, but simply means, that " in everything," or, " according to everything," (P33, kekol,) in which they had hearkened to Moses they would hearken to him: in other words, that they would hold his authority to be in every respect equal to that of Moses. This meaning is retained by the Septuagint, which renders Kлtл tt&vtk oirot tixoutrxf&sv Ma/fl^jj) oLxaufOfAiSdi iroV'ЧEd,, CHAP. T.I6. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 39 vant Moses. They intimate that they will be ready to war under the auspices of their new leader, because they are persuaded that he is armed with the power and hope that he will be victorious by the assistance of God, as they had learned by experience how wonderfully God assisted them by the hand of Moses. We may infer, moreover, that they actually felt this confidence, both because they call to mind their experiences of God's favour to animate themselves, and because they regard Joshua as the successor of Moses in regard to prosperous results. The epithet thy God1 is not without weight, as it evidently points to a continued course of divine favour. The form of expression also is intermediate between the confidence of faith and prayer.2 Accordingly, while they intimate that they cherish good hope in their minds, they at the same time have recourse to prayer, under a conviction of the ar-duousness of the work. Immediately after, when they of their own accord exhort him to constancy, they shew that they are ready to follow and to imitate him in his confidence. Here, it is to be observed, that though Joshua was a model of courage, and animated all, both by deed and precept, he was in his turn stimulated onwards, that his own alacrity might be more effectual in arousing that of the people. CHAPTER II. 1. And Joshua the son of Nun 1. Miserat3 autem Josue films Nun 1 This emphasis is lost by the Septuagint, which renders not л' eiл* v, " thy God," but, " i e>w bp.Z,," л our God."Ч Ed. 2 French, " Toutefois la maniere de parler qui est ici mise, est moyenne, et peut estre prise ou pour un glorifiement de la foy, ou pour un souhait;" " However, the manner of speaking which is here used is of a middle kind, and may be taken either for a glorying of faith, or for a wish."ЧEd. 3 Calvin's " miserat," " had sent," is in accordance with his opinion, that the spies had been sent some time before the transactions with which the first chapter concludes actually took place, but is not justified either by the Hebrew or by the Septuagint, which has simply kirieruXiv. It is worthy of remark, however, that Luther's German agrees with Calvin, and renders " ^atte jii>eert hmfcfc^aftet Ijeimltcfj auSgefcmfct ton @ittim;" c< had sent out two spies secretly from Sittim." The mention of the place, Sittim or Shittim, occurs in the French version, but is omitted without explanation in Calvin's Latin. It was situated in the plains of Moab near the left bank of the Jordan, and is particularly mentioned in Numbers xxv. as the abode of the Israelites, when they allowed themselves to be seduced 40 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. II. sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 2. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the country. 3. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. 4. And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were : 5. And it came to pass, about the lime of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went, I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. 6. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. 7. And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. 8. And, before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 9. And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10. For we have heard how the viros duos exploratores clam,1 di-cendo: Ite, considerate terram et Jericho. Profecti sunt igitur et ingressi sunt domum mulieris mere-tricis, cujus nomen erat Rahab, et dormierunt illic. 2. Dictum autem fuit regi Jericho, Ecce venerunt hue viri nocte hac e filiis Israel ad explorandum terram. 3. Tune misit rex Jericho ad Rahab, dicendo; Educ viros qui ingressi sunt ad te, qui venerunt domum tuam; quia ad explorandam totam terram venerunt. 4. Sumpserat autem mulier duos viros, et absconderat eos: Tune ait, Venerunt quidem ad me viri, sed non noveram undenam essent. 5. Fuit autem dum porta claude-retur in tenebris, egressi sunt viri; nee cognovi quo abierint. Sequi-mini cito eos, quia comprehendetis eos. 6. Ipsa autem ascendere fecerat eos in tectum, et absconderat eos sub culmislini ab ea ordinatis super tectum. 7. Viri autem persequuti sunt eos itinere Jordanis usque ad vada: por-tam vero clauserunt, simul ac egressi sunt qui eos persequebantur. 8. Antequam vero dormirent, ipsa ascendit super tectum ad eos. 9. Et ait ad viros : Novi quod Jehova dederit vobis terram, eo quod cecidit terror vester super nos, et quod defluxerunt omnes habitatores terrse a facie vestra. 10. Audivimus enim quomodo are- into gross idolatry by the daughters of Moab, and were in consequence signally punished.ЧEd. 1 This word " clam" may refer either to the secrecy of Joshua in sending the spies, or to the secrecy which they were to employ in making their inquiries. Either meaning seems good. The latter is countenanced by the Septuagint, which unites the secrecy and the spying in the single compound word xxTxirxaTtvirai; but it is evident, both from the version and the Commentary, that Calvin prefers the former.ЧEd. CHAP. II. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 41 Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. 12. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: 13. And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. 14. And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. 15. Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. 16. And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. 17. And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear: 18. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. 19. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; and whosoever shall be with fecerit Jehova aquas maris Suph a facie vestra dum exiistis ex iEgyp-to; et quae fecistis duobus regibus iEmorrhsei, qui erant trans Jordan-em : Sihon et Og quos interemistis. 11. Audivimus, et dissolutum est cor nostrum, neque constitit ultra spiritus a facie vestra. Jehova enim Deus vester Deus est in eoelo sursum et super terrain deorsum. 12. Nunc ergo jurate mini, quae-so, per Jehovam (fed enim vobiscum misericordiam) quod facietis etiam vos cum domo patris mei misericordiam, et dabitis mihi signum verum, 13. Quod vivos servabitis fratrem meum, et matrem meam, et fratres meos, et sorores meas, et omnes qui sunt eorum, eruetisque animas nos-tras a morte. 14. Dixerunt ei viri: Animanostra pro vobis ad moriendum: modo non prodideris sermonem nostrum hunc: tune erit, ubi tradiderit Jehova nobis terram, faciemus tecum misericordiam et veritatem. 15. Demisit itaque eos fune per fenestram: domus enim ejus erat in pariete muri, et in muro ipsa habita-bat. 16. Dixit autem eis: Ad montem pergite, ne forte occurrant vobis qui insequuntur, et latitate illic tribus diebus, donee redeant qui insequun-tur,et postea ibitis perviamvestram. 17. Tune dixerunt ei viri, Innoxii erimus a juramento tuo hoc quo nos adjurasti. 18. Ecce, quum ingrediemur terram, funiculum hunc fili coccinei ligabis in fenestra, per quam demi-seris nos: patrem vero tuum et matrem tuam congregabis ad te in domum, et omnem familiam patris tui. 19. Erit autem, quicunque egres-sus fuerit e valvis domus tuse foras, sanguis ejus erit in caput ejus, nos vero innoxii: quicunque vero tecum fuerit in domo, sanguis illius in caput COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. II. 1. thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. 20. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. 21. And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. 22. And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. 23. So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: 24. And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land: for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. nostrum, si manus injecta fuerit in eum. 20. Si vero prodideris sermonem hunc nostrum, erimus innoxii a jura-mento quo adjurasti nos. 21. Respondit ilia: Ut loquuti estis, ita sit. Tune dimisit eos, et abierunt, ligavitque filum coccineum in fenestra. 22. Profecti venerunt ad montem, et manserunt ibi tribus diebus, donee reverterentur qui insequuti fuerant, qui qusesierunt per omnem viam, nee invenerunt. 23. Reversi ergo duo illi, postquam descenderunt e monte, transierunt, veneruntque ad Josue fllium Nun, et narraverunt ei qusecunque acci-derant sibi. 24. Dixeruntque ad Josue, Tra-didit Jehova in manus nostras totam terram. Dissoluti enim sunt omnes habitatores terrse a facie nostra. 1. And Joshua the son of Nun sent, &c. The object of the exploration now in question was different from the former one, when Joshua was sent1 with other eleven to survey all the districts of the land, and bring back information to the whole people concerning its position, nature, fertility, and other properties, the magnitude and number of the cities, the inhabitants, and their manners. The present object was to dispose those who might be inclined to be sluggish, to engage with more alacrity in the campaign. And though it appears from the first chapter of Deuteronomy, (Deut. i. 22,) that Moses, at the request of the people, sent chosen men to spy out the land, he elsewhere relates (Numb. xiii. 4) that he did it by command from God. Those twelve, therefore, set out divinely commissioned, and for a somewhat different purpose, viz., to make a thorough survey of the land, and be the heralds of its excellence to stir up the courage of the people. Now Joshua secretly sends two persons to ascertain whether CHAP. II. 1. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 43 or not a free passage may be had over the Jordan, whether the citizens of Jericho were indulging in security, or whether they were on the alert and prepared to resist. In short, he sends spies on whose report he may provide against all dangers. Wherefore a twofold question may be here raised ЧAre we to approve of his prudence ? or are we to condemn him for excessive anxiety, especially as he seems to have trusted more than was right to his own prudence, when, without consulting God, he was so careful in taking precautions against danger? But, inasmuch as it is not expressly said that he received a message from heaven to order the people to collect their vessels and to publish his proclamation concerning the passage of the Jordan, although it is perfectly obvious that he never would have thought of moving the camp unless God had ordered it, it is also probable that in sending the spies he consulted God as to his pleasure in the matter, or that God himself, knowing how much need there was of this additional confirmation, had spontaneously suggested it to the mind of his servant. Be this as it may, while Joshua commands his messengers to spy out Jericho, he is preparing to besiege it, and accordingly is desirous to ascertain in what direction it may be most easily and safely approached. They came into a harlot's house, &c. Why some try to avoid the name harlot, and interpret PI JIT as meaning one who keeps an inn, I see not, unless it be that they think it disgraceful to be the guests of a courtezan, or wish to wipe off a stigma from a woman who not only received the messengers kindly, but secured their safety by singular courage and prudence. It is indeed a regular practice with the Rabbins, when they would consult for the honour of their nation, presumptuously to wrest Scripture and give a different turn by their fictions to anything that seems not quite reputable.1 But the probability is, that while the messengers were courting secrecy, and shunning observation and all places of public intercourse, they came to a woman who 1 In the present instance they set no limits to their extravagance, and gravely tell us, that instead of leading a life of infamy, she was merely an - innkeeper or " hostess," and was afterwards honoured to be the wife of Joshua.ЧEd. 4i COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. II. 2. dwelt in a retired spot. Her house was contiguous to the wall of the city, nay, its outer side was actually situated in the wall. From this we may infer that it was some obscure corner remote from the public thoroughfare ; just as persons of her description usually live in narrow lanes and secret-places. It cannot be supposed with any consistency to have been a common inn which was open to all indiscriminately, because they could not have felt at liberty to indulge in familiar intercourse, and it must have been difficult in such circumstances to obtain concealment. My conclusion therefore is, that they obtained admission privily, and immediately betook themselves to a hiding-place. Moreover, in the fact that a woman who had gained a shameful livelihood by prostitution was shortly after admitted into the body of the chosen people, and became a member of the Church, we are furnished with a striking display of divine grace which could thus penetrate into a place of shame, and draw forth from it not only Rahab, but her father and the other members of her family. Most assuredly while the term HJIT, almost invariably means harlot, there is nothing here to oblige us to depart from the received meaning. 2. And it was told the king, &c. It is probable that watchmen had been appointed to take notice of suspicious strangers, as is wont to be done in doubtful emergencies, or during an apprehension of war. The Israelites were nigh at hand ; they had openly declared to the Edomites and Moabites that they were seeking a settlement in the land of Canaan ; they were formidable for their number; they had already made a large conquest after slaying two neighbouring kings; and as we shall shortly perceive, their famous passage of the Red Sea had been noised abroad. It would therefore have argued extreme supineness in such manifest danger to allow any strangers whatever to pass freely through the city of Jericho, situated as it was on the frontiers. It is not wonderful, therefore, that men who were unknown and who appeared from many circumstances to have come with a hostile intention, were denounced to the king. At the same time, however, we may infer that they were CHAP. II. 4. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 45 supernaturally blinded in not guarding their gates more carefully ; for with the use of moderate diligence the messengers after they had once entered might easily have been detained. Nay, a search ought forthwith to have been instituted, and thus they would to a certainty have been caught. The citizens of Jericho were in such trepidation and so struck with judicial amazement, that they acted in everything without method or counsel. Meanwhile the two messengers were reduced to such extremities that they seemed on the eve of being delivered up to punishment. The king sends for them; they are lurking in the house; their life hangs upon the tongue of a woman, just as if it were hanging by a thread. Some have thought that there was in this a punishment of the distrust of Joshua, who ought to have boldly passed the Jordan, trusting to the divine guidance. But the result would rather lead us to conclude differently, that God by rescuing the messengers from extreme danger gave new courage to the people ; for in that manifestation of his power he plainly shewed that he was watching over their safety, and providing for their happy entrance into the promised land. 4. And the woman took the two men, &c. We may presume that before Rahab was ordered to bring them forth the rumour of their arrival had been spread, and that thus some little time had been given for concealing them.1 And indeed on receiving the king's command, had not measures for concealment been well taken, there would have been no room for denial; much less would she have dared to lie so coolly. But after she had thus hidden her guests, as the search would have been difficult, she comes boldly forward and escapes by a crafty answer. 1 Had the season of the year when these transactions took place not been known from other sources, the mode of concealment to which Rahab resorted would have gone far to fix it. The " stalks of flax " with which she covered them, was evidently the crop of flax as it had been taken from the ground after attaining maturity, and laid out in the open air to dry, agreeably to a custom still practised, before it was subjected to the process of shutching, for the purpose of being deprived of its woody fibre. The flax sown about the end of September was pulled in the end of March or beginning of April, which accordingly was the period when the Israelites began to move their camp.ЧEd. 46 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAF. II. 4. Now, the questions which here arise are, first, Was treachery to her country excusable ? Secondly, Could her lie be free from fault ? We know that the love of our country, which is as it were our common mother, has been implanted in us by nature. When, therefore, Rahab knew that the object intended was the overthrow of the city in which she had been born and brought up, it seems a detestable act of inhumanity to give her aid and counsel to the spies. It is a puerile evasion to say, that they were not yet avowed enemies, inasmuch as war had not been declared ; since it is plain enough that they had conspired the destruction of her fellow-citizens.1 It was therefore only the knowledge communicated to her mind by God which exempted her from fault, as having been set free from the common rule. Her faith is commended by two Apostles, who at the same time declare, (Heb. xi. 31; James ii. 25,) that the service which she rendered to the spies was acceptable to God. It is not wonderful, then, that when the Lord condescended to transfer a foreign female to his people, and to ingraft her into the body of the Church, he separated her from a profane and accursed nation. Therefore, although she had been bound to her countrymen up to that very day, yet when she was adopted into the body of the Church, her new condition was a kind of mamimission from the common law by which citizens are bound toward each other. In short, in order to pass by faith to a new people, she behoved to renounce her countrymen. And as in this she only acquiesced in the judgment of God, there was no criminality in abandoning them.2 1 It may either mean that "they" (the Israelites) " had conspired," as here translated, or as the French has it, that " Kahab had conspired."Ч Ed. ' Latin, " Nullum in proditione fuit crimen;" literally, " there was no crime in the treachery." French, " II n'y a point eu de crime de trahison en ce faict;" " There was no crime of treachery in the act." Neither of these properly conveys Calvin's meaning. From what follows it is evident that he held all treachery to be criminal as implying a deviation from truth; while he also held, that under the special circumstances Kahab was justified in withdrawing her allegiance from her countrymen and transferring it to the Israelites. He therefore only justifies the act without approving of the mode of it. This view appears to be accurately expressed CHAP. II. 4. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 47 As to the falsehood, we must admit that though it was done for a good purpose, it was not free from fault. For those who hold what is called a dutiful lie1 to be altogether excusable, do not sufficiently consider how precious truth is in the sight of God. Therefore, although our purpose be to assist our brethren, to consult for their safety and relieve them, it never can be lawful to lie, because that cannot be right which is contrary to the nature of God. And God is truth. And still the act of Rahab is not devoid of the praise of virtue, although it was not spotlessly pure. For it often happens that while the saints study to hold the right path, they deviate into circuitous courses. Rebecca (Gen. xxviii.) in procuring the blessing to her son Jacob, follows the prediction. In obedience of this description a pious and praiseworthy zeal is perceived. But it cannot be doubted that in substituting her son Jacob in the place of Esau, she deviated from the path of duty. The crafty proceeding, therefore, so far taints an act which was laudable in itself. And yet the particular fault does not wholly deprive the deed of the merit of holy zeal; for by the kindness of God the fault is suppressed and not taken into account. Rahab also does wrong when she falsely declares that the messengers were gone, and yet the principal action was agreeable to God, because the bad mixed up with the by the term " abandoning," which has accordingly been substituted in the translation. ЧEd. 1 Latin," Mendacium officiosum." French, " Le mensonge qui tend au profit du prochain;" " The lie which tends to our neighbour's profit." The mendacium officiosum is an expression of frequent use among the Casuists, and properly means, " a lie which it may be an act of duty to tell." One of the most common instances given is the case in which a simple statement of the truth might essentially endanger the interest, or, it may be, the life of an individual whom we are under a natural or conventional obligation to defend from all injury. A son, for example, is pursued by murderers; he takes shelter under the paternal roof; his mother has just succeeded in concealing him when the murderers arrive. Is she entitled to give a false answer to their interrogatories ? The question is one of the most difficult and delicate that can be raised; but Calvin has undoubtedly given the right decision when he lays down the broad principle, that those who hold any lie to be excusable, " do not sufficiently consider how precious truth is in the sight of God." Were anything necessary to reconcile us to this decision, we may easily find it in the havoc which has been made of all morality by acting on its opposite, as evinced particularly in the case of Jesuit and other Romish casuists.ЧEd. 48 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. II. 7. good was not imputed. On the whole, it was the will of God that the spies should be delivered, but he did not approve of saving their life by falsehood. 7. And the men pursued, &c. Their great credulity shews that God had blinded them. Although Rahab had gained much by deluding them, a new course of anxiety intervenes ; for the gates being shut, the city like a prison excluded the hope of escape. They were therefore again aroused by a serious trial to call upon God. For seeing that this history was written on their report, it is impossible they could have been ignorant of what was then going on, especially as God, for the purpose of magnifying his grace, purposely exposed them to a succession of dangers. And now when they were informed that search was made for them, we infer from the fact of their being still awake, that they were in anxiety and alarm. Their trepidation must have been in no small degree increased when it was told them that their exit was precluded. It appears, however, that Rahab was not at all dismayed, since she bargains with so much presence of mind, and so calmly, for her own safety and that of her family. And in this composure and firmness her faith, which is elsewhere commended, appears conspicuous. For on human principles she never would have braved the fury of the king and people, and become a suppliant to guests half dead with terror. Many, indeed, think there is something ridiculous in the eulogium bestowed upon her both by St. James and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, (James ii. 25 ; Heb. xi. 31,) when they place her in the catalogue of the faithful. But any one who will carefully weigh all the circumstances will easily perceive that she was endowed with a lively faith. First, If the tree is known by its fruits, we here see no ordinary effects, which are just so many evidences of faith. Secondly, A principle of piety must have given origin to her conviction that the neighbouring nations were already in a manner vanquished and laid prostrate, since terror sent from above had filled all minds with dismay. It is true that in profane writers also we meet with similar expressions, which CHAP. II. 7. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 49 God has extorted from them that he might assert his power to rule and turn the hearts of men in whatever way he pleases. But while these writers prate like parrots, Rahab declaring in sincerity of heart that God has destined the land for the children of Israel, because all the inhabitants have fainted away before them, claims for him a supreme rule over the hearts of men, a rule which the pride of the world denies. For although the experience of all times has shewn that more armies have fallen or been routed by sudden and un-looked for terror than by the force and prowess of the enemy, the impression of this truth has forthwith vanished away, and hence conquerors have always extolled their own valour, and on any prosperous result gloried in their own exertions and talents for war. They have felt, I admit, that daring and courage are occasionally bestowed or withheld by some extraneous cause, and accordingly men confess that in war fortune does much or even reigns supreme. Hence their common proverb with regard to panic terrors, and their vows made as well to Pavor (Dread) as to Jupiter Stator.1 But it never became a serious and deep-seated impression in their minds, that every man is brave according as God has inspired him with present courage, or cowardly according as he has suppressed his daring. Rahab, however, recognises the operation of a divine hand in striking the nations of Canaan with dismay, and thus making them as it were by anticipation pronounce their own doom ; and she infers that the terror which the children of Israel have inspired is a presage of victory, because they fight under God as their Leader. 1 French, " Et y a eu un proverbe comnmn entre eux, pour signifler les frayeurs soudaines dont le cause n'apparoit point j (car ils les appeloyent Epouvantemens Paniques;) aussi ils faisoyent voeus a un Juppiter qu'ils appeloyent Stator, c'est a dire Arrestant; et a une deesse qu'ils nommoy-ent Pavor, c'est a dire Peur afin que les armees tinssent bon, et ne s'en fuissent de peur;" " And there was a common proverb among them to denote the sudden alarms of which the cause does not appear; for they called them Panic Terrors; in like manner they made vows to a Jupiter, whom they called Stator, that is, Staying; and to a goddess whom they named Pavor, that is Fear, in order that armies might stand good, and not flee from fear."ЧEd. 50 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. II. 10. In the fact, that while the courage of all had thus melted away, they however prepared to resist with the obstinacy of despair; we see that when the wicked are broken and crushed by the hand of God, they are not so subdued as to receive the yoke, but in their terror and anxiety become incapable of being tamed. Here, too, we have to observe how in a common fear believers differ from unbelievers, and how the faith of Rahab displays itself. She herself was afraid like any other of the people; but when she reflects that she has to do with God, she concludes that her only remedy is to eschew evil by yielding humbly and placidly, as resistance would be altogether unavailing. But what is the course taken by all the wretched inhabitants of the country ? Although terror-struck, so far is their perverseness from being overcome that they stimulate each other to the conflict. 10. For we have heard how, &c. She mentions, as the special cause of consternation, that the wide-spread rumour of miracles, hitherto without example, had impressed it on the minds of all that God was warring for the Israelites. For it was impossible to doubt that the way through the Red Sea had been miraculously opened up, as the water would never have changed its nature and become piled up in solid heaps, had not God, the author of nature, so ordered. The transmutation of the element, therefore, plainly shewed that God was on the side of the people, to whom he had given a dry passage through the depths of the sea. The signal victories also gained over Og and Bashan, were justly regarded as testimonies of the divine favour towards the Israelites. This latter conclusion, indeed, rested only on conjecture, whereas the passage of the sea was a full and irrefragable proof, as much so as if God had stretched forth his hand from heaven. All minds, therefore, were seized with a conviction that in the expedition of the Israelitish people God was principal leader;1 hence their terror and consternation. At the same time, it is probable that they were 1 French, " Que Dieu estoit le principal conducteur de l'entreprise du peuple d'Israel, et qu'il marchoit avec iceluy;" "That God was the principal conductor of the enterprise of the people of Israel, and that he was marching along with them."ЧEd. CHAP.II.il. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 51 deceived by some vain imagination that the God of Israel had proved superior in the contest to the gods of Egypt; just as the poets feign that every god has taken some nation or other under his protection, and wars with others, and that thus conflicts take place among the gods themselves while they are protecting their favourites. But the faith of Rahab takes a higher flight, while to the God of Israel alone she ascribes supreme power and eternity. These are the true attributes of Jehovah. She does not dream, according to the vulgar notion, that some one, out of a crowd of deities, is giving his assistance to the Israelites, but she acknowledges that He whose favour they were known to possess is the true and only God. We see, then, how in a case where all received the same intelligence, she, in the application of it, went far beyond her countrymen. 11. The Lord your God, he is God, &c. Here the image of Rahab's faith appears, as if reflected in a mirror, when casting down all idols she ascribes the government of heaven and earth to the God of Israel alone. For it is perfectly clear that when heaven and earth are declared subject to the God of Israel, there is a repudiation of all the pagan fictions by which the majesty, and power, and glory of God are portioned out among different deities; and hence we see that it is not without cause that two Apostles have honoured Rahab's conduct with the title of faith. This is sneered at by some proud and disdainful men, but I wish they would consider what it is to distinguish the one true God from all fictitious deities, and at the same time so to extol his power as to declare that the whole world is governed at his pleasure. Rahah does not speak hesitatingly, but declares, in absolute terms, that whatever power exists resides in the God of Israel alone, that he commands all the elements, that he orders all things above and below, and determines human affairs. Still I deny not that her faith was not fully developed, nay, I readily admit, that it was only a germ of piety which, as yet, would have been insufficient for her eternal salvation. We must hold, nevertheless, that however feeble and slender the knowledge of God which the woman possessed may have been, still in surrendering herself to his 52 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. 11.12. power, she gives a proof of her election, and that from that seed a faith was germinating which afterwards attained its full growth. 12. Now, therefore, I pray you, swear, &c. It is another manifestation of faith that she places the sons of Abraham in sure possession of the land of Canaan, founding on no other argument than her having heard that it was divinely promised to them. For she did not suppose that God was favouring lawless intruders who were forcing their way into the territories of others with unjust violence and uncurbed licentiousness, but rather concluded that they were coming into the land of Canaan, because God had assigned them the dominion of it. It cannot be believed that when they sought a passage from the Edomites and others, they said nothing as to whither they were going. Nay, those nations were acquainted with the promise which was made to Abraham, and the memory of which had been again renewed by the rejection of Esau. Moreover, in the language of Rahab, we behold that characteristic property of faith described by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when he calls it a vision, or sight of things not appearing. (Heb. xi. 1.) Rahab is dwelling with her people in a fortified city : and yet she commits her life to her terrified guests, just as if they had already gained possession of the land, and had full power to save or destroy as they pleased. This voluntary surrender was, in fact, the very same as embracing the promise of God, and casting herself on his protection. She, moreover, exacts an oath, because often, in the storming of cities, the heat and tumult of the struggle shook off the remembrance of duty. In the same way she mentions the kindness she had shewn to them, that gratitude might stimulate them the more to perform their promise. For although the obligation of the oath ought of itself to have been effectual, it would have been doubly base and inhumane not to shew gratitude to a hostess to whom they owed deliverance. Rahab shews the kindliness of her disposition, in her anxiety about her parents and kindred. This is, indeed, natural; but many are so devoted to themselves, that children hesitate not to ransom their own CHAP. II. 14. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 53 lives by the death of their parents, instead of exerting coui'age and zeal to save them. 14. Our life for yours, &c. They imprecate death upon themselves, if they do not faithfully make it their business to save Rahab. For the interpretation adopted by some, We will pledge our lives, seems far-fetched, or too restricted, since their intention was simply to bind themselves before God. They constitute themselves, therefore, a kind of expiatory victims, if any evil befalls Rahab through their negligence. The expression, for yours, ought, doubtless, to be extended to the parents, brothers; and sisters. They therefore render their own lives liable in such a sense, that blood may be required of them, if the family of Rahab do not remain safe. And herein consists the sanctity of an oath, that though its violation may escape with impunity, so far as men are concerned, yet God having been interposed as a witness, will take account of the perfidy. In Hebrew, to do mercy and truth, is equivalent, to performing the office of humanity faithfully, sincerely, and firmly. A condition, however, is inserted,Чprovided Rahab do not divulge what they have said. This was inserted, not on account of distrust, as is usually expounded, but only to put Rahab more upon her guard, on her own account. The warning, therefore, was given in good faith, and flowed from pure good will: for there was a danger that Rahab might betray herself by a disclosure. In one word, they shew how important it is that the matter should remain, as it were, buried, lest the woman, by inconsiderately talking of the compact, might expose herself to capital punishment. In this they shew that they were sincerely anxious for her safety, since they thus early caution her against doing anything which might put it out of their power to render her a service. In further distinctly stipulating, that no one should go out of the house, or otherwise they should be held blameless, we may draw the important inference, that in making oaths soberness should be carefully attended to, that we may not profane the name of God by making futile promises on any subject. The advice of Rahab, to turn aside into the mountain, 54 COMMENTARY OH JOSHUA. CHAP. II. 14. and there remain quiet for three days, shews that there is no repugnance between faith and the precautions which provide against manifest dangers. There is no doubt that the messengers crept off to the mountain in great fear, and yet that confidence which they had conceived, from the remarkable interference of God in their behalf, directed their steps, and did not allow them to lose their presence of mind. Some have raised the question, whether, seeing it is criminal to overleap walls, it could be lawful to get out of the city by a window ? But it ought to be observed, first, that the walls of cities were not everywhere sacred, because every city had not a Romulus, who could make the overleaping a pretext for slaying his brother ;* and secondly, That law, as Cicero reminds us, was to be tempered by equity, inasmuch as he who should climb a wall for the purpose of repelling an enemy, would be more deserving of reward than punishment. The end of the law is to make the citizens secure by the protection of the walls. He, therefore, who should climb over the walls, neither from contempt nor petulance, nor fraud, nor in a tumultuous manner, but under the pressure of necessity, could not justly on that account be charged with a capital offence. Should it be objected that the thing was of bad example, I admit it: but when the object is to rescue one's life from injury, violence, or robbery, provided it be done without offence or harm to any one, necessity excuses it. It cannot be charged upon Paul as a crime, that when in danger of his life at Damascus, he was let down by a basket, seeing he was divinely permitted to escape, without tumult, from the violence and cruelty of wicked men.2 1 This is an instance of the quiet and almost sly humour which occasionally betrays itself in Calvin's other writings, and shews, that had it comported with the general gravity of his character, he might easily have added wit to the other weapons with which he fought the battles of the faith. In private life, when greater freedom was allowable, it appears, according to Beza's statement, to have not unfrequently contributed to the charm of his conversation.ЧEd. 2 The whole objection, as to the overleaping of walls, is so ridiculous in itself, and so very inapplicable to the circumstances of all parties at the time, that it is difficult to understand why Calvin should have condescended to notice it at all, or, at least, given himself so much trouble to refute it. If one might hazard a conjecture, it would be that some question CHAP. II. 24 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 55 24. And they said unto Joshua, &c. This passage shews that Joshua was not mistaken in selecting his spies ; for their language proves them to have been right-hearted men possessed of rare integrity. Others, perhaps, not recovered from the terror into which they had once been thrown, would have disturbed the whole camp, but these, while they reflect on the wonderful kindness of God, displayed in their escape from danger, and the happy issue of their expedition, exhort Joshua and the people to go boldly forward. And although the mere promise of possessing the land ought to have been sufficient, yet the Lord is so very indulgent to their weakness, that, for the sake of removing all doubt, he confirms what he had promised by experience. That the Lord had not spoken in vain, was proved by the consternation of the nations, when it began already to put them to flight, and to drive them out, as if hornets had been sent in upon them. For they argue in the same way as Rahab had done, that the land was given to them, as the inhabitants had almost fainted away from fear. I have therefore used the illative pai'ticle for, though the literal meaning is, and also. But it is sufficiently plain, that in the other way there is a confirmation of what they had said. And, indeed, the courage of all melted away, as if they felt themselves routed by the hand of God. CHAPTER III. 1. And Joshua rose early in the 1. Surrexit autem Josue summo morning; and they removed from mane, et profecti sunt e Sittim, ve-Shittim, and came to Jordan, he nerantque usque ad Jordanem ipse and all the children of Israel, and et omnes filii Israel, pernoctaverunt-lodged there before they passed que illic antequam transirent. over. 2. And it came to pass after three 2. Et fuit a fine trium dierum, ut days, that the officers went through prsefecti transirent per medium cas-the host; trorum. 3. And they commanded the 3. Prreciperentque populo, di-people, saying,|When ye see the ark cendo, Quum videritis arcam foede-of the covenant of the Lord your ris Jehovre Dei vestri, et sacerdotes God, and the priests the Levites Levitas portantes earn, proficisce-bearing it, then ye shall remove from mini e loco vestro, ibitisque post your place, and go after it: illam. of a similar nature had been raised in regard to the walls of Geneva, and given a local interest to a discussion which otherwise seems somewhat out of place.ЧEd. 56 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. III. 4. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it; that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. 5. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 6. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 7. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8. Andthou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 9. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God. 10. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amor-ites, and the Jebusites. 11. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. 12. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 13. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. 4. Veruntamen interstitium erit inter vos et.ipsam fere duorum mili-um cubitorum in mensura : ne ap-propinquetis ei, ut cognoscatis viam per quam ambulaturi estis. Non enim transiistis per viam illam heri vel nudius tertius. 5. Dixerat autem Josue ad popu-lum, sanctificate {prasparate) vos. Cras enim faciet Jehova in medio vestri mirabilia. 6. Loquutus autem est Josue ad sacerdotes, dicendo, Tollite arcam foederis, et transite ante populum. Tulerunt itaque arcam foederis, et ambularunt ante populum. 7. Dixerat autem Jehova ad Jo-suam, Hodie incipiam magnificare te in oculis totius Israel, ut, sciant, quomodo fui cum Mose, sic me fore tecum. 8. Tu ergo praecipies sacerdoti-bus portantibus arcam foederis, dicendo, Quum ingressi fueritis usque ad extremum aquae Jordanis, in Jordane stabitis. 9. Dixitque Josue ad filios Israel, Accedite hue, et audite verba Je-hovae Dei vestri. 10. Dixit item Josue, In hoc cog-noscetis quod Deus vivens est in medio vestri, et quod expellendo ex-pellet a facie vestra Chananaoum, Hitthseum, et Hivseum, et Pheri-sseum, et Gergesseum, et Amor-rhseum, et Jebusseum. 11. Ecce area foederis Dominato-ris universse terra; transibit ante vos per Jordanem. 12. Nunc ergo tollite vobis duo-decim viros e tribubus Israel, singu-los per singulas tribus. 13. Quum autem quieverint plan-tse pedum sacerdotum portantium arcam Jehovae Dominatoris univer-sas terras in aquis Jordanis, aquse Jordanis intercidentur, et aquse su-perne (vel desuper, vel desursum) fluentes, consistent in acervo uno. CHAP. III. 1. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 57 1. And Joshua rose early, &c. We must remember, as I formerly explained, that Joshua did not move his camp till the day after the spies had returned, but that after hearing their report, he gave orders by the prefects that they should collect their vessels, as three days after they were to cross the Jordan.1 His rising in the morning, therefore, does not 1 This seems to be the proper place to insert a short account of the Jordan, and more especially of that part of it in the neighbourhood of which the Israelites were now encamped. This becomes necessary, because Calvin has altogether omitted it, partly, as some expressions in his Commentary would seem to indicate, from having unfortunately attached little comparative importance to geographical details, and partly, as he very modestly expresses it, from not having been very well acquainted with them. Indeed, at the period when he wrote, the geography of the Holy Land was very imperfectly known, but we have not the same excuse, as numerous well-qualified travellers have since traversed it in all directions, and published careful descriptions both of its general features and of almost all the localities possessed of much historical interest. In a single note, only a few leading points can be adverted to, but it seems not impossible, in this way, to give a distinct idea of the nature of the passage which the Israelites were now preparing to make, and of the wonderful interposition by which they were enabled to accomplish it. The Jordan, then, by far the most important river of Palestine, is formed, near its northern frontiers, by several streams which descend from the mountains of Lebanon, and after flowing nearly due south, for a direct distance of about 175 miles, discharges its waters into the north side of the Dead Sea. In the upper part of its course, before it reaches the lake of Tiberius, more familiarly known by its usual scriptural name of the Sea of Galilee, it has much of the character of an impetuous torrent, and is hemmed closely in on both sides by lofty mountains, but on issuing from the south side of the lake, it begins to flow in a valley, the most remarkable circumstance connected with which, is its great depth beneath the level of the ocean. Even the Sea of Galilee is 84 feet, and the Dead Sea, where the Jordan falls into it, is 1337 feet beneath this level. The intervening space between the two seas, forms what is properly called the valley of the Jordan, and consists of a plain, about six miles across in its northern, but much wider in its southern half, where it spreads out, on its east or left bank, into the plains of Moab, and on its west or right bank, into the plains of Jericho. This valley, throughout its whole length, is terminated on either side by a mountain chain, which in many parts rises so rapidly as soon to attain a height exceeding 2500. Within the valley thus terminated, a minor valley is enclosed. It is about three quarters of a mile in breadth, and consists, for the most part, of a low flat, bounded by sandy slopes, and covered by trees or brushwood. Nearly in the centre of this flat the river, almost concealed beneath its overhanging banks, pursues its course, with few large windings, but with such a multiplicity of minute tortuosities, that though the direct distance is not more than sixty-five, the indirect distance or total length of the stream is estimated at not less than two hundred miles. The river, in its ordinary state, within its banks, has a width of from twenty to thirty yards, and a depth, varying from nine to fifteen feet. The banks are there from twelve to fourteen feet high, and immediately beyond them, the flat bears evident marks of being fre- 58 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. III. 2. refer simply to their return, but rather to the issuing of his proclamation. When the three days were completed, the prefects were again sent through the camp to acquaint the people with the mode of passage. Although these things are mentioned separately, it is easy to take up the thread of the narrative. But before it was publicly intimated, by what means lie was to open a way for the people, the multitude spread out on the bank of the river were exposed to some degree of confusion. It is true, there were fords by which the Jordan could be passed. But the waters were then swollen, and had overflowed, so that they might easily prevent even men altogether without baggage from passing. There was therefore no hope, that women and children, with the animals, and the rest of the baggage, could be transported to the further bank. That, in such apparently desperate circumstances, they calmly wait the issue, though doubtful, and to them incomprehensible, is an example of faithful obedience, proving how unlike they were to their fathers, who, on the slightest occasions, gave way to turbulence, and inveighed against the Lord and against Moses. This change was not produced without the special agency of the Holy Spirit. 2. And it came to pass after three days, &c. That is, three days after their departure had been intimated. For they did not halt at the bank longer than one night. But as the period of three days had previously been fixed for crossing, and they had no hope of being able to accomplish it, Joshua now exhorts them to pay no more regard to obstacles and quently inundated. These inundations take place in spring, and are caused by the melted snow brought down, partly by the three principal tributaries of the Jordan, the Jarmuch, or Shurat-el-Mandour, the Jabbok, or Zerka, and the Arnon, or Wady Modjet, which all join it from the east, but chiefly by the main stream, which is then copiously supplied from the snowy heights of Lebanon. This rising of the waters, of course, begins as soon as the thawing influence of the returning heat begins to be felt, but does not attain its maximum till the impression has been fully made, or, in the first weeks of April. Such was the state of the stream as the Israelites now approached it, at a spot which cannot be exactly ascertained, but may be safely assumed to have been from seven to twelve miles north of the Dead Sea, and not far from the Bethabarah, where our Saviour, after condescending to receive baptism at the hands of his forerunner, went up from the banks, while the heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and lighted upon him.Ч Ed. CHAP. III. 4. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 59 difficulties, and to attend to the power of God. For although the form of the miracle is not yet explained, yet when the ark of the covenant is brought forward like a banner to guide the way, it was natural to infer that the Lord was preparing something unusual. And while they are kept in suspense, their faith is again proved by a serious trial; for it was an example of rare virtue to give implicit obedience to the command, and thus follow the ark, while they were obviously uninformed as to the result. This, indeed, is the special characteristic of faith, not to inquire curiously what the Lord is to do, nor to dispute subtlely as to how that which he declares can possibly be done, but to cast all our anxious cares upon his providence, and knowing that his power, on which we may rest, is boundless, to raise our thoughts above the world, and embrace by faith that which we cannot comprehend by reason. 4. Yet there shall be a space, &c. As the younger Levitcs, whose province it was to carry the ark, (Numb. iv. 15,) were strictly forbidden to touch it, or even to look at it, when uncovered, it is not wonderful that the common people were not allowed to approach within a considerable distance of it. The dignity of the ark, therefore, is declared, when the people are ordered to attest their veneration by leaving a long interval between themselves and it. And we know what happened to Uzzah, (2 Sam. vi.,) when seeing it shaken by restive oxen, he with inconsiderate zeal put forth his hand to support it. For although God invites us familiarly to himself, yet faithful trust so far from begetting security and boldness, is, on the contrary, always coupled with fear. In this way the ark of the covenant was, indeed, a strong and pleasant pledge of the divine favour, but, at the same time, had an awful majesty, well fitted to subdue carnal pride. This humility and modesty, moreover, had the effect of exercising their faith by preventing them from confining the grtice of God within too narrow limits, and reminding them, that though they were far distant from the ark, the divine power was ever near. In the end of the verse it is shewn how necessary it was for them to be divinely guided by an unknown way ; that 60 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. III. 6. anxiety and fear might keep them under the protection of the ark. 5. And Joshua said, &c. Some unwonted manifestation of divine power in bringing assistance behoved to be held forth, lest the backwardness arising from hesitancy might produce delay; and yet, in order that the Israelites might depend on the mere counsel of God, Joshua does not yet plainly point out the special nature of the miracle, unless, indeed, we choose to read what follows shortly after, as forming part of one context. Herein lies the true test of faith, to lean so on the counsel of God, as not to keep inquiring too anxiously concerning the mode of action or the event. As the word KHp means sometimes to prepare, and sometimes to sanctify, and either meaning is not inappropriate, I thought it best to leave a free choice. For faith prepares us to perceive the operation of God ; and in those times, when God manifested himself to men more nearly, they consecrated themselves by a solemn rite ; thus we see how Moses, on the promulgation of the Law, sanctified the people as God had commanded. The view taken by some expositors, that the people were thus commanded to purge themselves from defilements, merely in order that nothing might impede the passage of the Jordan, seems to be too confined. 6. And Joshua spake unto the priests, &c. It is probable that the priests were informed why God wished the ark to precede, that they might be more ready to execute the command, for the whole people are immediately after made acquainted with the intended division of the waters. As the prefects had formerly published in the camp, that the people were to follow the ark of the covenant, the priests could not possibly be ignorant as to the office which they were to perform. For it had been distinctly declared that they were to be leaders or standard-bearers. But when all were in readiness, Joshua publicly unfolded the divine message which he had received. For it would have been incongruous to make the divine favour more clearly manifest to the common people than to them. It is added, however, immediately after, that the people were made acquainted with the miracle. CHAP. III. 10. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 6'1 I conclude, therefore, that after the priests had for some time been kept in suspense, along with the multitude, the Lord, on ascertaining the obedience of all, publicly declared what he was to do. First, then, it is related that the priests were enjoined by Joshua to bear the ark before the people ; and secondly, lest any one might think that he was making the attempt at random, or at his own hand, mention is at the same time made of the promise with which he had been furnished as a means of ensuring his command. But although it is not then distinctly said that the course of the Jordan would be interrupted, yet, from the language which Joshua used to the people, we may infer that the Lord spoke more in detail, and explained more distinctly what he had determined to do. For Joshua did not mention anything which he had not previously learned from the mouth of God himself. Nay, before he makes any mention of the matter at all, he tells them to hear the words of the Lord, and thus premises that he has the authority of God for what he is about to say. 10. Hereby ye shall know, &c. He makes the power of the miracle extend further than to the entrance of the land, and deservedly; for merely to open up a passage into a hostile territory, from which there was afterwards no retreat, would have been nothing else than exposure to death. For either entangled among straits, and in an unknown region, they would easily have been destroyed, or they would have perished, worn out by hunger and the absolute want of all things. Joshua therefore declares before hand, that when God would restore the river to its course, it would just be as if he were stretching forth his hand to rout all the inhabitants of the land ; and that the manifestation of his power given in the passage of the Jordan, would be a sure presage of the victory which they would obtain over all the nations. He says, Hence shall you know that the Lord is present with you; to what end ? Not only to plant your feet in the land of Canaan, but also to give you full possession of it. For surely when mention is made of the overthrow of the nations, an ultimate, free, and peaceful possession is im- 62 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CHAP. III. 11. plied. Therefore, as the Lord by dividing the river clearly shewed that his power resided with the Israelites, so the people must on their part have conceived hopes of perpetual assistance, as much as if they had already seen their enemies worsted and lying prostrate before them. For God does not abandon the work of his hands midway, leaving it maimed and unfinished. (Ps. cxxxviii. 8.) When he leads his people unto the promised inheritance, he makes a dry passage for them by cutting off the course of the Jordan. How perverse then would it have been for the Israelites to stop short at that momentary act, instead of feeling confident in all time to come, until quiet possession of the land were actually obtained ! Let us learn then from this example, prudently to combine the different acts of divine goodness relating to our final salvation, so that a happy commencement may cherish and keep alive in our minds the hope of an equally happy termination. When Joshua says that the people will know the presence of God from the miracle, he indirectly upbraids them with their distrust, as the mere promise of God ought to have sufficed for a full assurance, and our faith, unless founded solely on this promise, must be continually wavering. But although faith ought properly to recline on the truth of God alone, it does not follow that experimental knowledge may not act as a secondary support to its weakness, and give subsidiary aid to its confirmation. For that which God promises to us in word he seals by act, and as often as he exhibits to us manifestations of his grace and might, he intends them to be so many confirmations of what he has spoken, and so many helps tending to suppress all our doubts. 11. Behold the ark of the covenant, &e. First he says that the ark of God will go before ; and secondly, he explains for what purpose, namely, that Jordan may retire from its place, trembling, so to speak, at the presence of the Lord, as is said in the Psalms. (Ps. cxiv.) The narrative introduced concerning the twelve men is parenthetical, as it only briefly alludes to what it will afterwards deliver more fully and clearly. At present, let us merely understand, that while the CHAP.III.il. COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. 63 ark went before, God displayed his power in guiding the people. And in this way there was a confirmation of the sanctity of the worship appointed by the Law, when the Israelites perceived that it was no empty symbol of his presence that God had deposited with them. For Jordan was compelled to yield obedience to God just as if it had beheld his majesty. Let us however remember, that the only reason which induced the Lord to display his grace in the ark was because he had placed the tables of his covenant within it. Moreover, as the thing could not be easily credited, Joshua directs the mind of the people to the contemplation of the divine power, which surmounts all difficulties. The title of Ruler of the whole earth here applied to God is not insignificant, but extols his power above all the elements of nature, in order that the Israelites, considering how seas and rivers are subject to his dominion, might have no doubt that the waters, though naturally liquid, would become stable in obedience to his word. 14. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 15. And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16. That the waters, which came down from above, stood, and rose up upon an heap, very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan : and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut oif; and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17. And the priests, that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. 14. Et fuit, quum proficisceretur populus ad transeundum Jordanem, sacerdotes qui portabant arcam fos-deris erant ante populum. 15. Postquam autem venerunt qui portabant arcam usque ad Jordanem, et pedes sacerdotum por-tantium arcam intincti fuerunt in extremo aquarum (Jordanes autem erat plenus ultra omnes suas ripas toto tempore messis,) 16. Constiterunt aquse quse de-scendebant desuper, et assurexerunt in acervum unum procul valde, ab Adam urbe qua? est ad latus Sarthan, et quaa descendebant ad mare soli-tudinis, mare salis, consumptse sunt, interciderunt: populus autem tran-sierunt e regione Jericho. 17. Stabant autem sacerdotes portantes arcam foederis Jehovse in sicco in medio Jordanis expediti, {vel prseparati,) totus vero Israel transibant per siccum donee finem facerent universa gens transeundi Jordanis, 61 COMMENTARY ON JOSHUA. CIIAP.III. 15. 15. And as they that bare the ark, &c. The valour of the priests in proceeding boldly beyond the bed into the water itself, was deserving of no mean praise, since they might have been afraid of being instantly drowned. For what could they expect on putting in their feet, but immediately to find a deep pool in which they would be ingulfed ? In not being afraid on reaching the stream, and in continuing to move firmly forward to the appointed place, they gave a specimen of rare alacrity, founded on confidence. To the general danger was added the special one, that the Jordan had then overflowed its banks, as it is wont to do at the commencement of every summer. As the plain was covered, it was impossible to observe the line of the banks or the ford, and the slime spread far and wide, increased their fear and anxiety.1 God was pleased that his people, and especially the priests, should contend with these obstacles, in order that the victory of their faith and constancy might be more illustrious. At the same time, the difficulty thus presented tended to magnify the glory of the miracle when the waters, which had overflowed their banks, retired at the divine command, and were gathered together into a solid heap. First, Joshua explains the nature of the miracle for the purpose of removing doubt, and preventing profane men from denying the divine interposition by a subtle searching 1 These remarks are made on the assumption that the waters had risen so as not only to reach the highest edge of the banks, and make the usual channel what may be called brim-full, but had spread themselves to some distance over the plain. It may have been so, but there is no distinct statement to this effect, and the concluding clause of the fifteenth verse does not literally bear the meaning which Calvin and our English translators have assigned to it. His rendering is, " Jordanes autem erat plenus ultra omnes suas ripas ;" literally, " Now Jordan was full beyond all his banks." The English rendering is, "For Jordan overfloweth all his banks." The original only says that " Jordan fills up to (completely fills) all his banks." The Septuagint, in like manner, says, " 'o $1 ufiiim lr\╗-^oZra xxff ?x.╗i╗ rni xqrixTiiat. avroi;" " Now the Jordan was filled as to all his embankment." The same meaning is very exactly given by Luther, whose version is "оet Sovbtm diet