in the midst of Jordan.

Before CHRIST 1451.

+ Heb. to morrow.

children of Israel, out of every tribe

a man:

5 And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.

9.- set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan,] By altering a letter in the Hebrew text, this verse may be rendered, agreeably to some ancient translations, "Joshua set up twelve stones from out of the midst of Jordan, from under the place, &c." Josephus seems to have had no notion of any more than one monument set up on this occasion. Shuckford.

and they are there unto this day.] The stones remained until the time when this book was written, that is, till a short time before Joshua's death, when he is thought to have composed it. Dr. Wells. Many a great work had God done for Israel which was now forgotten. Joshua therefore will have monuments of God's mercy, that future ages might be both witnesses and applauders of the great works of their God. Bp. Hall.

12.- Reuben, &c.] They were the first that passed over (according to their engagement, Numb. xxxii. 20, 21. 27, of which Joshua put them in mind, Josh. i. 13,) ready to encounter any enemy that might have opposed their landing. Bp. Patrick.

The people pass over.

CHRIST

1451.

11 And it came to pass, when all Before the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

27.

12 And the children of Reuben, c Numb. 32. and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:

armed.

13 About forty thousand || prepared | Or, ready for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 ¶ On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.

18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up + Heb. unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did + Heb. went. before.

19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.

21 And he spake unto the children

plucked up.

18.-flowed over all his banks,] All this is so particularly taken notice of, to shew that the passage of the Israelites was purely owing to the miraculous power of God; and that the miracle was the greater, on account of the passage being made when the river was in this state. Dr. Wells.

19.the tenth day of the-month,] In which same month they came out of Egypt, on the fifteenth day: so that there wanted just five days of forty years since their coming from thence, Bp. Patrick.

20. And those twelve stones,-did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.] We find many publick memorials of the most signal miracles, which are recorded in the Jewish history, not only in the names given to the places where they had been wrought, from the event, and at the time, but in sensible objects and monuments, set up at the moment the miracles had taken place, and constantly preserved with the most religious reverence. Thus the tables of stone in the ark were a monument of the miraculous deliverance of the Law at Sinai: the vessel

Before CHRIST 1451.

+ Heb. tomorrow.

d Exod. 14. 21.

+ Heb. all days.

of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers + in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, a which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God + for

ever.

CHAP. V.

1 The Canaanites are afraid. 2 Joshua reneweth circumcision. 10 The passover is

of manna, of the miraculous food in the wilderness: Aaron's rod that budded, and the censer of Korah and his company, formed into large plates for covering the altar, as a memorial to the children of Israel of their offence, and miraculous punishment. The brasen serpent, by looking on which God ordered the people should be healed of the bites inflicted by the serpents in the wilderness, was preserved even to the days of king Hezekiah. Thus also twelve stones were taken out of the midst of Jordan, at the time of the miraculous passage over it, and set up by Joshua at Gilgal, as a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. The setting up of these stones at the very time of the performance of the miracle, and the ordinance to the people to teach their children from age to age, and to instruct them in the meaning of this monument, are an incontestable proof of the reality of the fact, which the monument was raised to commemorate. Leslie, Dr. Graves. 23.—which he dried up from before us,] His use of the word "us" is remarkable; he means himself and Caleb, the only two who were now alive of those who passed the Red sea. Dr. Wells.

24. That all the people of the earth &c.] These two great miracles were wrought by God, that all the nations round about might acknowledge the power of the God of Israel, and that the people of Israel especially, for whom these wonders were wrought, might fear, that is, religiously worship and serve Him for ever. Bp. Patrick, Dr. Wells.

Chap. V. ver. 1.-Amorites,-Canaanites,] Under the Amorites and Canaanites are here included the several other nations of Canaan, as the Hittites, Hivites, &c. these two being the most powerful nations. The Amorites on the side of Jordan "westward" are distinguished from the Amorites eastward of Jordan, whom the Israelites had subdued already. The Canaanites "by the sea,' that is, by the Mediterranean sea, are the nation more properly called by this name, of which, however, there were colonies in other parts. In the consternation, or 'melting of hearts," of this people, here mentioned, the providence of God is very discernible, since, by this means, the Israelites were securely circumcised, (as is now to be related;) whereas, if the people of Canaan had been at this time courageous and vigilant, they might

66

The Canaanites are afraid.

have taken them at an advantage, as appears from the story of the Shechemites, Gen. xxxiv. 25. Bp. Patrick. until we were passed over,] The use of the word "we" proves that this book was written by Joshua, or by some one else alive at the time. Bp. Tomline. 2. Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again &c.] Make to thee knives of flints, literally: at this day they circumcise in the East with knives made of stone. The great number of stone hatchets and knives found in Britain leaves no room to doubt that stones may be sharpened to answer all the purposes of metal; and that stone knives, similar to those in the East, were formerly used in our own country. Script. illust. See the note on Exod. iv. 25. "Circumcise again," that is, renew the rite of circumcision. This does not imply that those who had been already circumcised were now to be circumcised again, but that another general circumcision was to be held of those, on whom the rite had been omitted. It is probable that the first general circumcision had been held at mount Sinai, in the first month of the second year, after they came out from Egypt, when they kept the passover, Numb. ix. 1-3. The reason of the omission of this rite during the last forty years, is given at ver. 6. As they were then in a wandering condition, and wholly uncertain at what time the removal of the cloud would summon them to proceed on their journey, they would have endangered their lives by submitting to an operation which rendered them incapable of moving immediately with safety. Bp. Patrick. The Israelites, on the present occasion, gave a signal proof of their faith, in submitting to this painful operation in the face of their enemies, relying on the Divine protection till they were healed; for Gilgal was only two miles from Jericho. Dr. Hales.

3. And Joshua-circumcised the children of Israel] No person, left to himself, could have acted as Joshua did. He was arrived in an enemy's country, and it was necessary for him to keep the people upon their guard, as they had powerful nations to encounter. What then was his first action when he came among them? He made the whole army undergo an operation, which rendered every person in it incapable of acting. The people of the next hamlet might have cut them to pieces; see Gen, xxxiv. 25. The history tells us, that it was by Divine appointment, and so it must necessarily have

Joshua reneweth circumcision.

Before CHRIST 1451.

4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness, by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the b Numb. 14. LORD Sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

23.

at the hill of the foreskins.] Some understand the Hebrew words thus translated, Gibeah-haaraloth, to be the name by which the place where they were circumcised was afterwards called. Bp. Patrick.

4. All the people that came out] Namely, all that were then twenty years of age; for such only were reputed men of war, and were guilty of the sedition mentioned at Numb. xiv. for which they were doomed to perish in the wilderness. Bp. Patrick.

9.-have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.] I have rolled away that which you esteemed the reproach of all other nations, and more particularly of the people of Egypt, among whom you lived, namely, uncircumcision. Shuckford, Dr. Wells. I have taken away from you that your uncircumcision, which you have kept all this while, out of that irreligious carelessness, which your fathers brought with you out of Egypt. Bp. Hall. The reproach of Egypt is supposed by some to relate to the reproaches which the Egyptians cast upon the Israelites during their wanderings in the wilderness, from which God now delivered them by the assurance conveyed in the renewal of circumcision. But the most common opinion is, that by the reproach of Egypt is meant nothing else but uncircumcision, with which the Israelites always upbraided other people, and particularly the Egyptians, with whom they had lived long, and were best acquainted. Stackhouse.

The manna ceaseth.

9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called || Gilgal unto this day.

Before CHRIST 1451.

|| That is,

10 And the children of Israel rolling. encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

12 ¶ And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up

23.

his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him e Exod. 23. with his sword drawn in his hand : and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as || cap- Or, prince. tain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship,

10.—and kept the passover] The Israelites, having become circumcised, were now qualified to celebrate the passover, which had been omitted from the second time of their observance of that rite at Sinai, in consequence of their rebellions; (Dr. Hales ;) and also on account of the want of unleavened bread, and other things required for the proper celebration of it. Stackhouse.

11.

they did eat of the old corn &c.] "Old corn;" that which the inhabitants left in their barns when they fled into Jericho and other strong holds. Bp. Patrick. Or the Hebrew word may signify, the ripe corn then standing on the ground. Shuckford.

12. And the manna ceased] Now that the Israelites had arrived in a country where was a sufficient supply of natural food, God ceased to supply them with manna, which had been their constant food for forty years, wanting about a month. Pyle. We are supplied by the example here afforded with a proof that God, in his dispensations to his creatures, vouchsafes not miracles and extraordinary means, when ordinary means are sufficient. Although the manna had been daily showered from heaven during their long sojourning in a barren and dry wilderness, yet from the day they ate of the old corn of Canaan, that is, when they began to enjoy common sustenance, and were enabled, by their own care and industry, to provide themselves with it for the future, their feeding on a daily miracle ceased together with that necessity which called for it. Dean Stanhope.

13. -a man] One whom he took to be a man. Bp. Patrick.

14.captain of the host of the Lord] By "host of the Lord" may be denoted the angels of heaven, and

also the whole body of the Jewish people, whom God led forth from Egypt. Dr. Wells, Bp. Patrick. Commentators have not been agreed who this person was, that appeared to Joshua. Some have supposed him to be a created angel; but there are several reasons for believing him to be a divine, and not a created being. For, besides his assuming the title of the "captain of the host of the Lord," he is called directly Jehovah or the Lord at ver. 2 of the next chapter, allowing that text to refer to the same Divine appearance; and Joshua's falling down and worshipping him, not only without being reproved for doing him too much honour, but, on the contrary, with a command to do him more, by loosing his shoe from his foot, ver. 15, (which was the highest acknowledgment of a Divine presence customary among Eastern nations,) is a circumstance which affords the surest evidence of the divinity of his person. Stackhouse. That he who thus appeared as a warriour, and called himself captain of the Lord's host, was no other than "the Word," was plainly the sense of the ancient Jewish church. Dean Allix. It was the Son of God, it is conceived, who appeared to Joshua, as captain of the Lord's host, whom Joshua worshipped with the most profound prostrations, and who made the ground holy, whereon he stood. Dr. Woodward.

The design of this appearance was to assure Joshua, that the same God, who had appeared to Moses, ordering him to pull off his shoes, because he stood on holy ground, had now appeared to him: and to serve as an encouragement to him in the war, in which he was about to engage with many nations; as a confirmation of his faith; and as a lesson to him to obey in all things the commands of God, and to give the glory of his conquests to the Author of them, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Bp. Watson.

Joshua was now encouraged by the appearance of the "captain of the Lord's host," with a drawn sword in his hand, the same who appeared to Moses in the bush at Horeb; as appears to follow from the sameness of the injunction, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy," ver. 13-15.

Joshua instructed how to besiege it.

about the city once. thou do six days.

Thus shalt Before

4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

CHRIST 1451.

5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down + flat, and the people shall ascend up ↑ Heb. under every man straight before him.

6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.

7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and

it.

And most signally did He fight, for Israel; 1st, In the miraculous downfall of the walls of Jericho, chap. vi. 20. 2ndly, In destroying the confederated southern nations with hailstones in their flight, chap. x. 11. 3rdly, In prolonging the day of battle to an unusual length, at Joshua's petition, by making the sun and moon stand still about a whole day, chap. x. 12-27. And 4thly, By driving out some of the northern nations by the hornet or gad-fly, chap. xxiv. 12, as foretold by Moses, Exod. xxiii. 28; Deut. vii. 20. Dr. Hales.

Chap. VI. ver. 2. And the Lord said] This seems to be the same Divine Person who is called in the foregoing chapter, the captain of the Lord's host, and is here called the Lord or Jehovah; (Bp. Patrick ;) at the same place of interview; (Pyle ;) while Joshua was standing barefoot. Dr. Wells.

3. And ye shall compass &c.] Instead of a formal siege they are commanded only to use some particular circumstances and forms, which might shew the more plainly the subversion of that idolatrous place to be from the miraculous hand of God. Pyle. We must suppose that the people of Jericho had previously refused offers of peace, which God had directed to be made by the Israelites to their enemies, Deut. xx. 10. Bp. Patrick.

4. trumpets of rams' horns:] The inside of the ram's horn is by no means hard, and may easily be taken out, except about four or five inches at the point, which was to be sawed off, in order to proportion the aperture to the mouth; after which the rest is easily pierced. Trumpets thus made are used by the shepherds in the south of Germany. Universal History.

5.- shall fall-flat,] Or fall under it, as it is in the Hebrew; which seems to signify, that the foundations of the wall were subverted, so that it sunk and fell into the ditch. The whole wall did not fall, as afterwards appears, ver. 22; for Rahab's house stood, which was upon the wall; but such wide breaches were made every where round about, that the Israelites went straight forward, and found an easy entrance into the city. Bp. Patrick.

Jericho is compassed.

Before CHRIST

1451.

Heb. gathering host.

8 ¶ And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, Heb. make nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

your voice to be heard.

---

11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 ¶ And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew

9. the rereward came after] That is, such of the people as attended unarmed; old men, women, and children, who came in the rear of the ark. Dr. Wells.

17. the city shall be accursed,] Shall be devoted to perpetual destruction. Dr. Wells. This word cherem, (which we translate accursed,) signifies sometimes the gift itself which is devoted to God for his uses, Levit. xxvii. 28; sometimes that which is devoted to perpetual destruction, by the right which God has to punish capital enmities to Him, as here in this place. Bp. Patrick. The city shall be devoted to an absolute destruction, and all the living creatures that are in it; and sequestered to a revenge and extirpation from the Lord. Bp. Hall.

18. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves &c.] Take

Before CHRIST 1451.

17 And the city shall be || ac- || Or, devoted. cursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she a Chap. 2. 4. hid the messengers that we sent.

a

18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they + Heb. shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

holiness.

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down +flat, so that b Hebr. 11. the people went up into the city, Heb. under every man straight before him, and it. they took the city.

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

30.

22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto c Chap. 2.14. her.

C

Hebr. 11. 31.

23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kin- + Heb. dred, and left them without the camp of Israel.

families.

heed lest you meddle with any of the spoils which are devoted to God, and appropriate them to your own use, lest you bring yourselves under the same sentence of being devoted to destruction, and, more than that, lest ye expose the camp to the same danger. Bp. Patrick. - the wall fell down] This stupendous miracle, at the beginning of the war, was well calculated to terrify the devoted nations, and to encourage the Israelites, by shewing that the loftiest walls and the strongest barriers afforded no protection against the Almighty God of Israel. Dr. Hales.

20.

23. left them without the camp] It was not lawful to bring them into the camp, as it was rendered holy by the special presence or ark of the Lord, till they had ab