9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meat-offering; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.

10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it, once in a year, with the blood of the sin-offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it, throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man, "a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) a half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.

15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not " "give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

i Lev. 10. 1.-k Lev. 16. 18. & 23. 27.-1 Ch. 38. 25. Numb. 1. 2, 5. & 26. 2. 2 Sam. 24. 2-m Heb. them that are to be numbered: See Numb. 31. 50.-n Job 33. 24. & 36. 18. Psa. 49. 7. Matt. 20. 28. Mark 10. 45. 1 Tim. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19-0 2 Sam. 24. 15-p Matt. 17. 21.-q Lev. 27. 25. Numb. 3. 47. Ezek. 45. 12-r Ch. 38. 26.

pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the sprinkling of so much blood, and the burning of so much flesh, &c. The perfume that was to be burnt on this altar is described, ver. 34. No blood was ever sprinkled on this altar, except on the day of general expiation, which happened only once in the year, ver. 10. But the perfume was necessary in every part of the tabernacle and its environs.

Verse 9. No strange incense] None made in any other

way.

Nor burnt-sacrifice] It should be an altar for incense, and for no other use.

Verse 10. An atonement-once in a year] On the tenth day of the seventh month.-See Lev. xvi. 18, &c. and the notes there.

Verse 12. Then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul] This was a very important ordinance, and should be seriously considered.-See the following verse.

Verse 13. Half a shekel] Each of the Israelites was ordered to give, as a ransom for his soul, (i. e. for his life,) half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. From this we may learn, 1. That the life of every man was considered as being forfeited to Divine Justice. 2. That the redemption-money given, which was doubtless used in the service of the sanctuary, was ultimately devoted to the use and profit of those who gave it. 3. That the standard by which the value of coin was ascertained, was kept in the sanctuary for this appears to be the meaning of the words after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4. The shekel is here said to be twenty gerahs. A gerah, according to Maimonides, weighed sixteen barley-corns; a shekel, three hundred and twenty of pure silver. The shekel is generally considered to be equal in value to three shillings English; the redemption-money, therefore, must be about one shilling and sixpence. 5. The rich were not to give more; the poor not to give less. To signify that all souls were equally precious in the sight of God; and that no difference of outward circumstances could affect the state of the soul; all had sinned; and all must be redeemed by the same price. 6. This atonement must be made, that there might be no plague among them; intimating, that a plague or curse from God, must light on those souls for whom the atonement was not made. 7. This was to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, ver. 16. to bring to their remembrance their past deliverance, and to keep in view their future redemption. 8. St. Peter seems to allude to this, and to intimate that this mode of atonement was ineffectual in itself, and only pointed out the great sacrifice, which, in the fulness of time, should be made for the sin of the world. Ye know, says he, that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, &c.

16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.

19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering, made by fire unto the LORD:

21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.

22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of

d

s Job 34. 19. Prov. 22 2. Ephes. 6. 9. Col. 3. 25-t Heb multiply-u Heb. diminish.-v Ver. 12.-w Ch. 39. 25.-x Numb. 16. 40-y Ch. 34. 8. 1 Kings 7.38. z Ch. 40. 7, 30.-a Ch. 40. 31, 32. Psa. 26. 6. Isai. 52. 11. John 13. 10. Hebr. 10. 22 b Ch. 28. 43.-c Cant. 4. 14. Ezek. 27. 22-d Psa. 45. 8. Prov. 7. 17.

1 Pet. i. 18, 19, 20. 9. Therefore all these things seem to refer to Christ alone, and to the atonement made by his blood; and upon him who is not interested in this atonement, God's plagues must be expected to fall.-Reader, acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace; and thereby good shall come unto thee.

Verse 18. A laver of brass] ciyor, sometimes signifies a cauldron, 1 Sam. ii. 16. but it seems to signify any large round vessel or basin used for washing the hands and feet. There were doubtless cocks or spiggols in it, to draw off the water, as it is not likely the feet were put into it in order to be washed. The foot of the laver must mean the pedestal on which it stood.

Verse 20. They shall wash with water, that they die not] This was certainly an emblematical washing; and as the hands and the feet are particularly mentioned, it must refer to the purity of their whole conduct. Their hands, all their works; their feet, all their goings, must be washed, must be holiness unto the Lord. And this washing must be repeated every time they entered into the tabernacle, or when they came near to the altar to minister. This washing was needful, because the priests all ministered barefoot; but it was equally so, because of the guill they might have contracted, for the washing was emblematical of the putting away of sin, or what St. Paul calls the laver of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tit. iii. 5. as the influences of the Spirit must be repeated for the purification of the soul, as frequently as any moral defilement has been contracted.

Verse 21. And it shall be a statute for ever] To continue, in its literal meaning, as long as the Jewish economy lasted; and, in its spiritual meaning, to the end of time. What an important lesson does this teach the ministers of the Gospel of Christ! Each time they minister in public, whether in dispensing the WORD or the SACRAMENTS, they should take heed that they have a fresh application of the grace and Spirit of Christ, to do away past transgressions or unfaithfulness, and to enable them to minister with the greater effect, as being in the divine favour, and consequently entitled to expect all the necessary assistances of the divine unction, to make their ministrations spirit and life to the people.-See on chap. xxix. ver. 20.

Verse 23. Take-unto thee principal spices] From this and the following verse we learn, that the holy anointing oil was compounded of the following ingredients:

cense,

holy unto you.

33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or

Olive oil is supposed to be the best preservative of odours. As the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit are termed the anointing of the Holy Ghost, therefore this holy ointment appears to have been designed as emblematical of those gifts and graces.-See Acts i. 5. x. 38. 2 Cor. i. 21. 1 John ii. 20, 27.

Verse 25. After the art of the apothecary] The original prokeach signifies a compounder or confectioner-any person who compounds drugs, aromatics, &c.

Verse 30. Thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons] For the reason of this anointing, see the note on chap. xxix. 7. It seems that this anointing oil was an emblem of divine teaching, and especially of those influences by which the church of Christ was, in the beginning, guided into all truth, as is evident from the allusion to it by St. John-Ye have an UNCTION from the HOLY ONE, and ye know all things. The ANOINTING which ye have received from him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same ANOINTING teacheth you of all things, and is TRUTH, and is no lie; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in HIM, 1 John chap. ii. 20, 21.

Verse 34. Take unto thee sweet spices] The holy PERFUME was compounded of the following ingredients:

STACTE, nataph, supposed to be the same with what was afterward called the balm of Jericho. Stacte is the gum which spontaneously flows from the tree which produces myrrh. See the note on ver. 23.

ONYCHA, n shecheleth, allowed by the best critics to be the unguis odoriferans, described by Rumph, which is the external crust of the shell-fish purpura, or murex; and is the basis of the principal perfumes made in the East Indies.

GALBANUM, n chelbenah, the bubon gummiferum, or African ferula: it rises with a ligneous stalk from eight to ten feet, and is garnished with leaves at each joint. The top of the stalk is terminated by an umbel of yellow flowers, which are succeeded by oblong channelled seeds, which have a thin membrane or wing on their border. When any part of the plant is broken, there issues out a little thin milk of a cream colour. The gummy resinous

whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, P shall even be cut off from his people.

34 And the LORD said unto Moses, 9 Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankIncense: of each shall there be a like weight:

35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: "it shall be unto you most holy.

V

37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

W

38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

CHAPTER XXXI.

Bezaleel appointed for the work of the tabernacle, 1—5. Aholiab appointed for the same, 6. The particular things on which they were to be employed, the ark and mercy-seat, 7. Table, candlestick, and altar of incense, 8. Altar of burnt-offering, and the laver, 9. Priest's garments, 10. Anointing oil, and sweet incense, 11. God renews the command relative to the sanctification of the Sabbath, 12-17. Delivers to Moses the two tables of stone, 18.

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, An. Exod. Isr. 1. saying,

Χ

cir. Thammuz.

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the y son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

p Gen. 17. 14. Ch. 12. 15. Lev. 7. 20, 21-q Ch. 25. 6. & 37. 29.-r Ver. 25. s Heb. salted. Lev. 2 13-t Ch. 29. 42. Lev 16.2-u Ver. 32. Ch. 29. 37. Lev. 2. 3.- Ver. 32.-w Ver. 33.-x Ch. 35. 30. & 36. 1.-y 1 Chron. 2. 20.

juice which proceeds from this plant, is what is commonly called galbanum, from the chelbenah of the Hebrews.

FRANKINCENSE pure, pin lebonah zakah. Frankincense is supposed to derive its name from frane, free, because of its liberal or ready distribution of its odours. It is a dry, resinous substance, in pieces or drops of a pale yellowish white colour, a strong smell, and bitter acrid taste. The tree which produces it is not well known. Dioscorides mentions it as gotten in India. What is called here pure frankincense, is no doubt the same with the mascula thura of Virgil, and signifies what is first obtained from the tree-that which is strongest, and most free from all adventitious mixtures. For the necessity of such a perfume as that here described, see the note on ver. 7.

THE Israelites were most strictly prohibited, on the most awful penalties, from making any anointing oil or perfume, similar to those described in this chapter. He that should compound such, or apply any of this to any common purpose, even to smell to, ver. 38. should be cut off, that is, excommunicated from his people, and so lose all right, title, and interest in the promises of God, and the redemption of Israel. From all this, we may learn, how careful the Divine Being is to preserve his own worship and his own truth, so as to prevent them from being adulterated by human inventions: for he will save men in his own way, and upon his own terms. What are called human inventions in matters of religion, are not only of no worth, but are, in general, deceptive and ruinous. Arts and sciences, in a certain way, may be called inventions of men; for the spirit of a man knoweth the things of a man; can comprehend, plan, and execute, under the general influence of God, every thing in which human life is immediately concerned; but religion, as it is the gift, so it is the invention of God: its doctrines and its ceremonies proceed from his wisdom and goodness-for HE alone could devise the plan by which the human race may be restored to his favour and image, and taught to worship him in spirit and in truth. And that worship which Himself has prescribed, we may rest assured, will be most pleasing in his sight. Nabab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord; and their destruction by the fire of Jehovah, is recorded as a lasting warning to all presumptuous worshippers, and to all who attempt to model his religion according to their own caprice, and to minister in sacred things, without that authority which proceeds from himself alone.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXI Verse 2. I have called by name Bezaleel] That is, I have particularly appointed this person to be the chief superintendent of the whole work. His name is significant, Sa betsal-el, in or under the shadow of God, meaning, under the especial protection of the Most High. He was the son of Uri, the son of Hur, the son of Caleb or Calubi,

CHAPTER XXXII.

Lord is angry, and threatens to destroy then, 9, 10. Moses interceles for them,

11-13. And the Lord promises to spare them, 14. Moses goes down with the tables in his han ls, 15, 16 Joshua hearing the noise they male in their festival,

makes some remarks on it, 17, 15. Moses coming to the camp, and seeing their idolatrous worship, is greatly digressed, throws down and breaks the two tables, 19. Takes the call, reluces it to powder, strews it upon water, and causes them to drink it, 20 Meses expostulates with Aaron, 21. Aaron vindicates himself, 22— Moses or lers the Levites to slay the transgressors, 25-27. They do so, and

24

8000 fall, 25, 23. Moses returns to the Lord on the mount, and makes application for the people, 30-32 God threatens and yet spares, 33. Commands Moses to lead the people, and promises him the direction of an angel, 31. The people are

plagued because of their sin, 35. Ap. Exod. 1. 1.

A out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

ND when the people saw that

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the • golden ear-rings, which are in the ears of your

w Ch. 24. 12 & 32 15, 16 & 31 28, 29. Deut. 4. 13. & 5 22 & 9. 10, 11. 2 Cor. 83-x Ch. 24. 18. Deut. 9. 9-y Acts 7, 40-z Ch. 13. 21-a Judg. 8. 24-27. b Ch M 23. Deat. 9. 16. Julg. 17. 3, 4. 1 Kings 12. 23. Neh. 9. 18. Psa. 106. 19. WORK OF GOD, and the WRITING WAS THE WRITING OF GOD, graven upon the tables," ch. xxxii. 15, 16. "These words (the ten commandments,) the Lord spake in the mount, out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more, BUT HE WROTE THEM on two tables of stone." Deut. v. 22. It is evident therefore that this writing was properly and literally the writing of God himself. He wrote now on tables of stone, what he had originally written on the heart of man; and in mercy he placed that before his eyes, which by sin had been obliterated from his soul, and by this he shows us what, by the Spirit of Christ, must be rewritten in the mind, 2 Cor. iii. 3. and this is according to the covenant, which God long before promised to make with mankind, Jer. xxxi. 33. See also what is said on this subject, chap. xx. 1. and see chap. xxxiv. 1.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XXXII.

Verse 1. When the people saw that Moses delayed] How long this was before the expiration of the forty days, we cannot tell; but it certainly must have been some considerable time, as the ornaments must be collected, and the calf or ox, after having been founded, must require a considerable time to fashion it with the graving tool; and certainly not more than two or three persons could work on it at once. This work, therefore, must have required several days.

They gathered themselves together] They came in a tumultuous and seditious manner, insisting on having an object of religious worship made for them, as they intended, under its direction, to return to Egypt, see Acts vii. 39, 40.

As for this Moses, the man that brought us up] This seems to be the language of great contempt, and by it we may see the truth of the character given them by Aaron, verse 22. they were set on mischief. It is likely they might have supposed that Moses had perished in the fire, which they saw had invested the top of the mountain, into which

he went.

Verse 2. Your ear-rings] Both men and women wore these ornaments; and we may suppose that these were a part of the spoils which they brought out of Egypt. How strange, that the very things which were granted them by an especial influence and providence of God, should be now abused to the basest idolatrous purposes; but it is frequently the case, that the gifts of God become desecrated by being employed in the service of sin. I will curse your blessings, saith the Lord, Mal. ii. 2.

Verse 3. And all the people brake off the golden carrings] The human being is naturally fond of dress, though this has been improperly attributed to the female sex alone, and those are most fond of it, who have the shallowest capacities; but on this occasion, the bent of the people to idolatry was greater than even their love of dress, so that they readily stripped themselves of their ornaments, in order to get a molten god. They made some compensation for this afterward, see chap. xxxv. and the note, chap. xxxviii. 9.

Verse 4. Fashioned it with a graving-tool] There has been much controversy about the meaning of the word on

4

And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to the LORD.

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerdrink, and rose up to play.

d

7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, f have corrupted themselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped

Isni. 46. 6. Acts 7. 41. Rom. 1. 23.-c Lev. 23. 2, 4, 21, 37. 2 Kings 10. 20. 2 Chron. 30. 5d 1 Cor. 10. 7-e Deut. 9. 12 Ver. 1. Ch. 33. 1. Dan. 9. 24-f Gen. 6. 11, 12. Deut. 4. 16, & 32. 5. Judg. 2. 19. Hos. 9. 9.-g Ch. 20. 3, 4, 23. Deut. 9. 16. cheret, in the text: some make it a mould, others a garment, cloth, or apron, some a purse or bag, and others a graver. It is likely that some mould was made on this occasion; that the gold when fused, was cast into it, and that afterward it was brought into form and symmetry by the action of the chisel and graver.

Was

These be thy gods, O Israel] The whole of this is a most strange and unaccountable transaction. Was it possible, that the people could have so soon lost sight of the wonderful manifestations of God upon the mount? it possible, that Aaron could have imagined that he could make any god that could help them? And yet, it does not appear that he ever remonstrated with the people! Possibly he only intended to make them some symbolical representation of the divine power and energy, that might be as evident to them as the pillar of cloud and fire had been; and to which God might attach an always present energy and influence! or, in requiring them to sacrifice their ornaments, he might have supposed they would have desisted from urging their request; but all this is mere conjecture, with very little probability to support it. It must, however, be granted, that Aaron does not appear to have even designed a worship that should supersede the worship of the Most High; hence we find him making proclamation, To-morrow is a feast to the LORD and we find farther, that some of the proper rites of the true worship were observed on this occasion, for they brought burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, ver. 6, 7. hence it is evident he intended that the true God should be the object of their worship, though he permitted and even encouraged them to offer this worship through an idolatrous medium, the molten calf. It has been supposed that this was an exact resemblance of the famous Egyptian god Apis, who was worshipped under the form of an ox; which worship the Israelites, no doubt, saw often practised in Egypt. Some, however, think that this worship of Apis was not then established; but we have already had sufficient proof that different animals were sacred among the Egyptians; nor have we any account of any worship in Egypt, earlier than that offered to Apis, under the figure of an OX.

Verse 6. The people sat down to eat and to drink] The burnt-offerings were wholly consumed; the peaceofferings, when the blood had been poured out, became the food of the priests, &c. When, therefore, the strictly religious part of these ceremonies was finished, the people sat down to eat of the peace-offerings, and this they did merely as the idolaters, eating and drinking to excess. And it appears they went much farther, for it is said, they rose up to play, prix, letsachek, a word of ominous import, and seems to imply here fornicating and adulterous intercourse; and in some countries the verb to play is still used precisely in this sense. In this sense the original is evidently used, Gen. xxxix. 14.

Verse 7. Thy people-have corrupted themselves] They had not only got into the spirit of idolatry, but they had become abominable in their conduct, so that God disowns them to be his: THY people, they have broken the covenant, and are no longer entitled to my protection and love.

11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 P Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

г

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of, will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testi

h1 Kings 12. 29-i Ch. 33. 3, 5. & 34. 9. Deut. 9. 6, 13. & 31. 27. 2 Chron. 30. 8. Isai. 48. 4. Acte 7. 51.-k Dent. 9. 14, 19.-1 Ch. 22. 24.--m Numb. 14. 12 -- Deut. 9. 18, 26-29. Ps. 74. 1, 2. & 106. 23.- Heb. the face of the LORD-p Numb. 11. 13. Deut. 9. 23. & 32. 27.-q Ver. 11.-r Gen. 22. 16. Hebr. 6. 138 Gen. 12. 7. & 13.

Verse 9. A stiff-necked people] Probably an allusion to the stiff-necked ox, the object of their worship.

Verse 10. Now therefore let me alone] Moses had already begun to plead with God in behalf of this rebellious and ungrateful people; and so powerful was his intercession, that even the Omnipotent represents himself as incapable of doing any thing in the way of judgment, unless his creature desisted from praying for mercy! See an instance of the prevalence of fervent intercession in the case of Abraham, Gen. xviii. 23-33. from the model of which, the intercession of Moses seems to have been formed.

Verse 14. And the Lord repented of the evil] This is spoken merely after the manner of men, who having formed a purpose, permit themselves to be diverted from it by strong and forcible reasons, and so change their minds relative to their former intentions.

Verse 15. The tables were written on both their sides] If we take this literally, it was certainly a very unusual thing; for in ancient times the two sides of the same substance were never written over. However, some rabbins suppose that by the writing on both sides is meant, the letters were cut through the tables, so that they might be read on both sides, though on one side they would appear reversed. Supposing this to be correct, if the letters were the same with those called Hebrew now in common use, the samech, D, which occurs twice, and the final mem,, which occurs twenty-three times in the ten commandments, both of these being close letters could not be cut through on both sides, without falling out, unless, as some of the Jews have imagined, they were held in by miracle; but if this ancient character were the same with the Samaritan, this thorough cutting might have been quite practicable, as there is not one close letter in the whole Samaritan alphabet. On this transaction there are the three following opinions. 1. We may conceive the tables of stone to have been thin slabs, or a kind of slate, and the writing on the backside to have been a continuation of that on the front, the first not being sufficient to contain the whole: 2. Or the writing on the backside was probably the precepts that accompanied the ten commandments: the latter were written by the Lord, the former by Moses, see the note on chap. xxxiv. 1. and 27. 3. Or the same words were written on both sides, so that when held up, two parties might read at the same time.

Verse 16. The tables were the work of God] Because such a law could proceed from none but himself; God alone is the fountain and author of LAW, of what is right, just, holy, and good; see the meaning of the word LAW, Exod. xii. 49.

The writing was the writing of God] For as he is the sole author of law and justice, so he alone can write them on the heart of man. This is agreeable to the spirit

16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

W

19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: a thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

23 For they said unto me, b Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses,

15. & 15. 7, 18. & 26. 4. & 23. 13. & 25. 11, 12-t Deut. 32. 26. 2 Sam. 24. 16. 1 Chron 21. 15. Ps. 106. 45. Jer. 18. 8. & 26. 13, 19. Joel 2. 13. Jonah 3. 10. & 4. 2-a Deat 9. 15.- Ch. 31. 18.-w Heb. weakness.-x Deut. 9. 16, 17-y Deut. 9. 21.-2 Gen. 20. 9. & 26. 10.-a Ch. 14. 11. & 15. 21. & 16, 2, 20, 28. & 17. 2, 4-b Ver. 1.

of the new covenant, which God had promised to make with men in the latter days. I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel—I will PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MINDS, AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS, Jerem. xxxi, 33. Heb. viii. 10. 2 Cor. iii. 3. That the writing of these tables was the writing of God, see proved at the conclusion of the last chapter.

Verse 17. Joshua-said-there is a noise of war in the camp.] How natural was this thought to the mind of a military man! hearing a confused noise, he supposed that the Israelitish camp had been attacked by some of the neighbouring tribes.

Verse 19. And he said] That is, Moses, returned this answer to the observations of Joshua..

Verse 19. He cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them] He might have done this through distress and anguish of spirit, on beholding their abominable idolatry and dissolute conduct: or he probably did it emblematically, intimating thereby that, as by this act of his, the tables were broken in pieces, on which the law of God was written; so they, by their present conduct, had made a breach in the covenant, and broken the laws of their Maker.

Verse 20. He took the calf-and burnt—and ground it to powder, &c.] How truly contemptible must the object of their idolatry appear, when they were obliged to drink their god, reduced to powder, and strewed on the water! "But," says an objector, "how could gold, the most ductile of all metals, and the most ponderous, be stamped into dust, and strewed on water! In Deut. ix. 21. this matter is fully explained. I took, says Moses, your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, that is, melted it down, probably into ingots or gross plates, and stamped it, that is, beat it into thin lamina, something like our gold-leaf, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust, which might be very easily done by the action of the hands, when beat into thin plates or leaves, as the original words non ecoth, and pr dak, imply. And I cast the dust thereof into the brook, and being thus lighter than the water, it would readily float, so that they could easily see, in this reduced and useless state, the idol to which they had been lately offering divine honours, and from which they were vainly expecting protection and defence. No mode of argumentation could have served so forcibly to demonstrate the folly of their conduct, as this method pursued by Moses.

Verse 21. What did this people unto thee?] It seems, if Aaron had been firm, this evil might have been pre

vented.

Verse 22. Thou knowest the people] He excuses himself by the wicked and seditious spirit of the people, intimating that he was obliged to accede to their desires.