that they drave with them, could not encamp so near together, but that some quarter or other was evermore subject to surprise. By which advantage, and in that his attempts were then perchance unexpected, he slew some few of the Israelites, and carried with him many prisoners.

Now it is very probable that it was this Canaanite, or his predecessor, which joined his forces with the Amalekites, and gave an k overthrow to those mutinous Israelites, which without direction from God by Moses would have entered Canaan from Cadesbarne. For it seemeth that the greatest number of that army were of the Canaanites, because in the first of Deut. 44. the Amorites are named alone without the Amalekites, and are said to have beaten the Israelites at that time. And this Arad, if he were the same that had a victory over Israel near Cadesbarne, or if it were his predecessor that then prevailed, this man finding that Moses was returned from the Red sea, and in his way towards Canaan, and that the south part of Canaan was first to be invaded, and in danger of being conquered, not knowing of Moses's purpose to compass Moab, determined while he was yet in the desert to try the quarrel. And whereas it followeth in the third verse of the 12th chapter of Numbers, that the Israelites utterly destroyed the Canaanites and their cities, they are much mistaken that think that this destruction was presently performed by the Israelites. But it is to be understood to have been done in the future, to wit, in the time of Joshua. For had Moses at that time entered Canaan in the pursuit of Arad, he would not have fallen back again into the deserts of Zin and Moab, and have fetched a wearisome and needless compass by the rivers of Zared and Arnon.

Neither is their conjecture to be valued at any thing, which affirm, that Arad did not inhabit any part of Canaan itself, but that his territory lay without it, and near the mountain Hor. For Hor and Zin Cades were the south borders of Edom, and not of Canaan. And it was in the

* Numb. xiv. 45.

south of the land of 1 Canaan that Arad dwelt; which south part of Canaan was the north part of Edom.

Again, Horma (for so far the Israelites after their victory pursued the Canaanites) is seated in the south of Judæa. There is also a city of that name in Simeon: but there is no such place to the south of Edom. And were there no other argument, but the mutiny which followed presently after the repetition of this victory, it were enough to prove that the same was obtained in the future, and in Joshua's time, and not at the instant of Arad's assault. For had the Israelites at this time sacked the cities of Arad, they would not the next day have complained for want of water and bread. For where there are great cities, there is also water and bread. But it was in the time of Joshua that the Israelites took their revenge, and after they had passed Jordan, Joshua then governing them; who in the 12th chapter and 14th verse nameth this Arad by the name of his city so called, and with him the king of Horma; to which place the Israelites pursued the Canaanites. And he nameth them amongst those kings which he vanquished and put to death.

Now after this assault and surprise by Arad, Moses finding that all entrance on that side was defended, he led the people eastward to compass Idumæa and the Dead sea, and to make his entrance by Arnon and the plains of Moab, at that time in the possession of the Amorites. But the Israelites, to whom the very name of a desert was terrible, began again to rebel against their leader; till God, by a multitude of fiery serpents, (that is, by the biting of serpents, whose venom inflamed them, and burnt them as fire,) made them know their error, and afterwards, according to his plentiful grace, cured them again by their beholding an artificial serpent, by his commandment set up.

From the mount Hor, Moses leaving the ordinary way, which lieth between the Red sea and Colesyria, encamped at Zalmora; and thence he removed to Phunon, where he erected the brasen serpent, making these journeys by the

1 Numb. xxxiii. 40.

66

edge of Edumæa, but without it. For Phunon was sometime a principal city of the Edomites. Now where it is written in Numbers xxi. 4. That from mount Hor they departed by the way of the Red sea, which grieved the people, it was not thereby meant that the Israelites turned back towards the Red sea; neither did they march (according to Fonseca) per viam, quæ habet a latere mare rubrum, "by the way that sided the Red sea;" but indeed they crossed and went athwart the common way from Galaad, Trachonitis, and the countries of Moab to the Red sea, that is, to Esiongaber, Eloth, and Midian; which way, as it lay north and south, so Israel, to shun the border of Edom, and to take the utmost east part of Moab, crossed the common way towards the east, and then they turned again towards the north, as before.

From Phunon he went to Oboth, where they entered the territory of Moab, adjoining to the land of Suph, a country bordering on the Dead sea; and from thence to Abarim, the thirty-eighth mansion, that is, where the mountains so called take beginning, and are as yet but small mountures of hills, on the east border of Moab; from thence they recovered Dibon Gad, or the river of Zared, which riseth in the mountains of Arabia, and runneth towards the Dead sea, not far from Petra the metropolis thereof, being the thirtyninth station. And having passed that river, they lodged at Dibon Gad, and from thence they kept the way to Diblathaim, one of the cities of Moab, which Jeremy (chap. xlviii. ver. 22.) calleth the house of Diblathaim, the same which afterwards was destroyed among the rest by Nebuchadnezzar. From thence they came to the river of Arnon, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim; though in Numbers xxii. Moses doth not remember Helmondiblathaim, but speaketh of his remove from the river of Zared, immediately to the other side of Arnon, calling Arnon the border of Moab, between them and the Amorites; speaking as he found the state of the country at that time. For Arnon was not anciently the border of Moab, but was lately conquered from the Moabites by Sehon, king of the Amorites,

even from the predecessor of Balac-Peor then reigning. From Diblathaim, Moses sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorites, to desire a passage through his country; which though he knew would be denied him, yet he desired to give a reason to the neighbour nations of the war he undertook. And though Edom had refused him as Sehon did, yet he had no warrant from God to enforce him. Moses also in sending messengers to Sehon observed the same precept, which he left to his posterity and successors for a law of the war, namely in Deut. xx. 10,11,12. in these words; When thou comest near unto a city to fight against it, thou shalt offer it peace, which if it do accept of and open unto thee, then let all the people found therein be tributaries unto thee, and serve thee; but if it refuse, &c. thou shalt smite all the males thereof with the edge of the sword. Which ordinance all commanders of armies have observed to this day, or ought to have done.

SECT. VII.

Of the book of the battles of the Lord mentioned in this story, and of other books mentioned in scripture which are lost.

NOW concerning the war between Israel and Sehon, Moses seemeth to refer a great part of this story to that book, entitled, m Liber bellorum Domini, "The book of "God's battles ;" and therefore passeth over many encounters, and other things memorable, with greater brevity in this place. His words, after the Geneva translation, are these; Wherefore it shall be spoken in the book of the battles of the Lord, what things he did in the Red sea and in the rivers of Arnon. The Vulgar copy differeth not in sense from this; but the Greek Septuagint vary. For the Greek writes it to this effect; n For thus it is said in the book; The war of the Lord hath burnt, or inflamed, Zoob, and the brooks of Arnon. Junius, for the Red sea, which is in the Genevan and Vulgar edition, names the region of Suph,

m Numb. xxi. 14.

n Ibid.

"Of the country of Suph, see more,

chap. 1o. sect. 4. §. 2. and of the force of the word Suph, also chap. 18. sect. 3.

a country bordering the Dead sea towards the east, as he conjectureth. The text he readeth thus: Idcirco dici solet in recensione bellorum Jehova, contra Vahebum in regione Suph: et contra flumina, flumina Arnonis; "There"fore it is spoken in repeating of the battles of Jehovah, "against Vaheb in the country of Suph; and against the "rivers, the rivers of Arnon." In which words he understands, that amongst the wars which the Lord disposed for the good of the PIsraelites, there was in those times a famous memory in the mouth of most men, concerning the war of Sehon against Vaheb the king of the Moabites, and of his winning the country near Arnon, out of the possession of the Moabites. For this Vaheb was the immediate predecessor of Balak, who lived with Moses; though it be written that this Balak was the son of Zippor, and not of Vaheb. For it seems (as it is plain in the succession of the 9 Edomites) that these kingdoms were elective, and not successive. And as Junius in this translation understandeth no special book of the battles of the Lord; so others, as Vatablus in his annotations, doubt whether in this place any special book be meant; and if any, whether it be not a prediction of wars in future ages to be waged in these places, and to be written in the book of Judges. Siracides, ch. xlvi. tells us plainly that those battles of the Lord were fought by Joshua. Who was there, saith he, before him, like to him? for he fought the battles of the Lord. But seeing the histories of the scripture elsewhere often pass over matters of great weight in few words, referring the reader to other books written of the same matter at large; therefore it seemeth probable, that such a book as this there was, wherein the several victories by Israel obtained, and also victories of other kings, making way for the good of the Israelites, were particularly and largely written. And that the same should now be wanting, it is not strange, seeing so many other volumes, filled with divine discourse, have perished in the long race of time, or have been destroyed by the ignorant and malicious heathen magistrate. For the