11 And as soon as we had heard these things, P 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.

B

V

ness, that ye will also show 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 thine oath which thou hast made us swear;

a

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.

i. See Exod. 1. 17. 2 Sam. 17. 19.-k Gen. 35. 5. Exod. 23. 27. Deut. 2. 25. & 11. 25. 1 Heb. melt. Exod. 15. 15.-m Exod. 14. 21. Ch. 4. 23-n Numb. 21. 24, 34, 35. o Exod. 15. 14, 15.-p Ch. 5. 1. & 7. 5. Isai. 13. 7.-r Heb. rose up.

appears to be a proof of the preceding opinion had she been a prostitute, or a person of ill-fame, he could at once have sent officers to have seized the persons lodged with her, as vagabonds: but if she kept a house of entertainment, the persons under her roof were sacred, according to the universal custom of the Asiatics; and could not be molested on any trifling grounds. A guest, or a friend, is sacred, in whatever house he may be received, in every part of the East, to the present day.

Verse 4. And hid them] Probably she secreted them for the time being, in some private corner; till she had the opportunity of concealing them on the house-top, in the manner mentioned ver. 6.

Verse 5. When it was dark] So it appears, that it was after night that the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, ordering her to produce the persons who lodged with her. The season itself was friendly to the whole plot: had these transactions taken place in day-light, it is scarcely possible that the spics could have escaped. But this is no excuse for the woman's prevarication: for God could have saved his messengers independently of her falsity. God never says to any, Do evil that good may come of it. See at the end of the chapter.

Verse 6. Hid them with the stalks of flax] It is a matter of little consequence whether we translate pyn D pistey haêts, stalks of flax, or stalks of hemp: the word ry êts, which signifies wood, serves to show, that whether it was hemp or flar, it was in its rough unmanufactured state and as this was about the season, viz. the end of March or the beginning of April, in which the flax is ripe in that country, consequently Rahab's flar might have been recently pulled, and was now drying on the roof of her house. The reader may find some useful remarks upon this subject in Mr. Harmer's Observations, vol. iv. p. 97, &c.

Upon the roof] We have already seen, that all the houses in the east were made flat-roofed: for which a law is given, Deut. xxii. 8. On these flat roofs, the Asiatics to this day, walk, converse, and oftentimes even sleep and pass the night. It is probable, that this hiding was after that referred to in the fourth verse.

Verse 9. I know that the Lord hath given you the land] It is likely she had this only from conjecture, having heard of their successes against the Amorites, their prodigious numbers, and seeing the state of terror and dismay, to which the inhabitants of her own land were reduced.

Verse 11. He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.] This confession of the true God is amazingly full, and argues considerable light and information. As if she had said, "I know your God to be omnipotent and omnipresent:" and in consequence of this faith, she hid the spies, and risked her own life in doing it. But how

s Deut. 4. 39.--t See 1 Sam. 2011, 15, 17-u See 1 Tim. 5. 8-v Ver. 18.—≈ Heb. instead of you to die-x Judg. 1 24. Matt. 5. 7.-y Acts 9. 25.—1 Exod. 2. 7. a Ver. 12-b Ch. 6. 23-c Heb. gather.

had she this clear knowledge of the Divine nature? 1. Possibly the knowledge of the true God was general in the earth at this time, though connected with much superstition and idolatry: the people believing that there was a god for every district, and for every people: for the mountains and for the valleys. See 1 Kings xx. 23. 2. Or she received this instruction from the spies, with whom she appears to have had a good deal of conversation; or, 3. She had it from a supernatural influence of God upon her own soul. She probably made a better use of the light she had received, than the rest of her countrymen, and God increased that light.

Verse 12. Sinear unto me by the Lord] This is a farther proof that this woman had received considerable instruction in the Jewish faith: she acknowledged the true God by his essential character, Jehovah: and knew that an oath in his name, was the deepest and most solemn obligation under which a Jew could possibly come. Does not this also refer to the command of God, Thou shall fear the Lord, and shall swear by his name? See the note on Deut. vi. 13.

Verse 13. Deliver our lives from death] She had learnt either from the spies, or otherwise, that all the inhabitants of the land were doomed to destruction; and therefore she obliges them to enter into a covenant with her, for the preservation of herself and her household. Verse 14. Our life for yours] "May our life be destroyed if we suffer yours to be injured!" This is what was anciently called, in our country, pledging-staking a man's life for that of his neighbour or friend.

Verse 15. Then she let them down by a cord, &c.] The natural place for this verse, is after the first clause of the 21st verse; for it is certain that she did not let them down in the basket, till all those circumstances, marked from the 16th to the 20th verse inclusive, had taken place.

She dwelt upon the wall.] That is, either the wall of the city made a part of her house, or her house was builded close to the wall, so that the top or battlements of it were above the wall, with a window that looked out to the country. As the city gates were now shut, there was no way for the spies to escape but through this window; and in order to this, she let them down through the window, in a basket, suspended by a cord, till they reached the ground on the outside of the wall.

Verse 16. Hide yourselves there three days.] They were to travel by night, and hide themselves in the daytime; otherwise they might have been discovered by the pursuers, who were in search of them.

Verse 18. This line of scarlet thread] non mpa Tikkevath chut hashani. Probably this may mean, this piece of scarlet cloth—or, this cloth (made) of scarlet thread. When the Israelites took the city, this piece of red cloth seems to have been hung out of the window, by way of

The Israelitish camp removes from Shittim to Jordan, 1. The officers inform them how they are to pass the river, and the distance they are to keep from the ark, 2-4. Joshua directs the people, 5, 6. And the Lord gives directions to Joshua, 7, 8. He delivers the Lord's message to the peuple, and foretells the miraculous passage and

division of Jordan, 9-13 The priests, bearing the ark, enter the river, and imme diately the waters are cut off, and the priests stand on dry ground, in the bed of the river, till all the camp passes over, 14-17.

An. Exod. Isr. 40. Anno ante

L. Olymp. 675.

ND Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed bfrom Shittim, and came to Jordan,

d Matt. 27. 25-e 2 Sam. 17. 20. Paa. 32 6.- Exod. 23. 31. Ch. 6. 2. & 21. 44. Heb. melt. Ver. 9-h Ch. 2. 1.-i Ch. 1. 10, 11.-k See Numb). 10. 33.-1 Deut. 31. 25.-m Exod. 19. 12.

flag; and this was the sign on which she and the spies had agreed.

Verse 20. If thou utter this our business] It was prudent to make her life depend on her secrecy: had it been otherwise, she might have been tempted to have given information, not only concerning the spies, but concerning the designs of the Israelites. But her life being at stake, added to every other motive, she kept the secret for the sake of her own personal safety, and that of all her relatives.

Verse 23. So the two men returned] Having concealed themselves in the mountain that night, all the next day, and the night ensuing: and on the third day, they returned to Joshua.

Verse 24. Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land] How different was this report from that brought by the spies on a former occasion! They found that all the inhabitants of the land were panic struck. The people had heard of the great exploits of the Israelites on the other side of Jordan; and as they had destroyed the potent kings of the Amorites, they took it for granted, that nothing could stand before them. This information was necessary to Joshua, to guide him in forming the plan of his campaign.

1. Ir may be asked, Did not Rahab lie in the account she gave to the officers of the king of Jericho? ver. 4, 5. There came men unto me, &c. I answer, She certainly did: and the inspired writer sets down the fact merely as it stood, without making the Spirit of God responsible for the dissimulation of the woman. But was she not rewarded, &c.? Yes; for her hospitality and faith; not for her lie. But could she have saved the spies without telling a lie? Yes, she certainly might. But what notion could a woman of her occupation, though nothing worse than an innkeeper, have of the nicer distinctions between truth and falsehood, living among a most profligate and depraved people, where truth could scarcely be known?

2. There is a lax morality in the world, that recommends a lie, rather than the truth, when the purposes of religion and humanity can be served by it! But when can this be? The religion of Christ is one eternal system of truth, and can neither be served by a lie, nor admit of one. On this vile subject fine words have been spoken. Tasso, in his elegant episode of Sophronia and Olindo, in the Gerusalemme Liberata, b. ii. v. 22. represents the former as telling a lie to Saladin, relative to the stealing of an image; for which, as he could not discover the culprit, he doomed all the Christians in his power to death. Sophronia, a pious Christian virgin, getting into the presence of the tyrant, in order to save her people, accuses herself, though perfectly innocent, of the theft. Her conduct on this occasion, the poet embellishes in the following manner, for which the religion of that time, which dealt in holy frauds, would no doubt applaud him:

he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

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.

n

5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to-morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, P 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.

r

8 And thou 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

n Heb. since yesterday and the third day-o Exod. 19. 10, 14, 15. Lev 20. 7. Numb. 11. 18. Ch. 7. 13. 1 Sam. 16. 5. Joel 2. 16-p Numb. 4. 16.—q Ch. 4. 14. 1 Chron. 29. 25. 2 Chron. 1. 1.-r Ch. 1. 5.-s Ver. 3.-i Ver. 17.

Ed ella: il reo si trova al tuo cospetto;
Opra e il furto, Signor, di questa mano:
Io l'immagine tolsi; lo son colei
Che tu ricerchi, e me punir tu dei.

Cosi al pubblico fato il capo altero
Offeree, el volle in se sol racorre
Magnanima menzogna! or quando e il vero
Si Bello, che si possa a te preporre !
Then she: "Before thy sight the guilty stands;
The theft, O king! committed by these hands.
In me the thief, who stole the image, view;
To me the punishment decreed is due."

Thus fill'd with public zeal, the generous dame

A victim for her people's ransom came.

O great deceit! O lie! divinely fair!

What truth with such a falsehood can compare!

Hoole.

Thus a lie is ornamented with splendid decorations, both by the Italian and English poet, and the whole formed into an anti-apostolic maxim; Let us do EVIL, that GOOD may come of it.

A purer morality was taught by one of the most ancient heathen writers, than is here preached by these demiChristians.

Εχθρος γαρ μοι κεινος, όμως αίδαο πυλησιν,
Ος χ' ετερον μεν κευθεί ενι φρεσιν, αλλο δε βάζει.
Iliad. ix. v. 312.

My soul detests him as the gates of hell,
Who knows the truth, and dares a falsehood tell.

The following is the advice of a genuine Christian poet, and one of the holiest men of his time:

Lie not: but let thy heart be true to God;
Thy tongue to it, thy actions to them both.
Cowards tell lies; and those who fear the rod :
The stormy working soul spits lies and froth.
Dare to be true! nothing can need a lie.

Herbert.

The fault that needs it most, grows two thereby. For other observations on this subject, see the notes on Gen. xii. end, and xx. 12.

3. Though the hand of God was evidently in every thing that concerned the Israelites; and they were taught to consider that by his might alone, they were to be put in possession of the promised land; yet they were as fully convinced that if they did not use the counsel, prudence, and strength, which they had received from him, they should not succeed. Hence, while they depended on the Divine direction and power, they exercised their own prudence, and put forth their own strength: and thus they were workers together with him, and did not receive the grace of God in vain. The application of this maxim is easy; and we cannot expect any success, either in things spiritual or temporal, unless we walk by the same rule, and mind the same thing.

NOTES ON CHAPTER III.

Verse 1. Joshua rose early] Archbishop Ussher supposes that this was upon Wednesday, the 28th of April, A. M. 2553, the fortieth year after the Exodus from Egypt. From Shittim, where they had lately been encamped, to Jordan, was about sixty stadia, according to Josephus; that is, about eight English miles.

Verse 2. After three days] These three days were pro

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 Amorites, 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

u Dent. 5. 23. 1 Sam. 17. 26. 2 Kings 19. 4. Hos 1. 10. Matt. 16. 16. 1 Thess. 1. 9. Exol 33 2. Deut. 7. 1. Psalin H. 2-w Verse 13. Micah 4. 14. Zech. 4. 14. & 6. 5-x Chap. 4. 2.-y Verses 15, 16.

bably to be thus understood.

As soon as Joshua took the command of the army he sent the spies to ascertain the state of Jericho, as we have seen chap. i. 12. They returned at the end of three days, or rather on the third day, and made their report. It was at this time, immediately on the return of the spies, that he made the proclamation mentioned here; in consequence of which the people immediately struck their tents, and marched forward to Jordan.

Verse 4. About two thousand cubits] This distance they were to keep, 1. For the greater respect, because the presence of the ark was the symbol and pledge of the Divine presence. 2. That the ark, which was to be their pilot over these waters, might be the more conspicuous, which it could not have been, had the people crowded upon it.

Verse 5. Sunctify yourselves] What was implied in this command, we are not informed; but it is likely, that it was the same as that given by Moses, Exod. xix. 10-14. They were to wash themselves and their garments, and abstain from every thing that might indispose their minds from a profitable attention to the miracle about to be wrought in their behalf.

Verse 6. Spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark] It is remarkable that the priests, not the Levites, whose ordinary business it was, were employed to carry the ark on this occasion. Calmet conjectures that this was because it was probably carried without being wrapped up in its curtains, as it always was when the Levites carried it. Though it was the business of the Levites, the sons of Kohath, to carry the ark; yet on certain occasions, the priests alone performed this office. 1. In the present case. 2. When they encompassed Jericho, chap. vi. 6. 3. When it was carried to the war against the Philistines by the priests, the sons of Eli, 2 Sam. xv. 25. 4. When David sent it back to Jerusalem, at the time he was obliged to fly from it, through the rebellion of his son Absalom, 2 Sam. xv. 25. And 5. At the time that it was taken out of the tabernacle, to be deposited in the temple, see 1 Kings viii. 6-11. These were the most solemn occasions, and on such alone, we may presume, the priests performed this office, instead of the Levites.

In all their former marches, the ark was carried in the centre of this immense camp; see the scheme at the end of chap. ii. of the book of Numbers, but now it was to proceed at the head of the army, and to go before them, and at such a distance, about three quarters of a mile, as the whole camp might see it as their guide.

Verse 7. This day will I begin to magnify thee] By making him the instrument in this miraculous passage, he did him honour, and gave him high credit in the sight of the people hence his authority was established, and obedience to him as their leader fully secured. What must have confirmed this authority, was his circumstantially foretelling how the waters should be cut off, as soon as the feet of the priests had touched them, ver. 14. This demonstrated that the secret of the Lord was with him.

Verse 8. Ye shall stand still in Jordan] The priests proceeded first with the ark, and entered into the bed of the river, the course of which was immediately arrested, the waters collecting above the place where the priests stood, while the stream fell off towards the Dead sea; so that the whole channel below where the priests were standing, became dry. The whole camp, therefore, passed over below where the priests were standing, keeping at the distance of 2000 cubits from the ark: this they could readily do, as the whole bed of the river was dry for many miles below the place where the priests entered.

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,)

e

16 That the waters which came down from above, stood and rose up upon a 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 off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

z Verse 11-a Psa. 78. 13. & 114. 3-b Acts 7. 45.-c Ver. 13-d 1 Chron. 12. 15. Jer. 12. 5. & 49. 19. Ecelus. 24. 23-e Ch. 4. 18. & 5. 10, 12 –f 1 Kings £ 12 & 76 g Deut. 3. 17.-h Gen. 14. 3 Numb. 34. 3.

Verse 10. Hereby ye shall know that the LIVING GOD is among you] The Israelites were apt to be discouraged, and to faint at even the appearance of danger; it was necessary, therefore, that they should have the fullest assurance of the presence and assistance of God in the important enterprise on which they were now entering. They are to combat idolaters, who have nothing to trust in, and help them, but gods of rood, stone, and metal: whereas they are to have the living God in the midst of them, HE who is the author of life and of being-who can give, or take it away, at his pleasure; and who by this miracle proved that he had undertaken to guide and defend them: and Joshua makes this manifestation of God, the proof that he will drive out the Hittites, Hivites, &c. before them.

With regard to the situation of each of these nations in the land of Canaan, Calmet remarks, that those called CANAANITES chiefly inhabited what is called Phanicia, the environs of Tyre and Sidon: the HITTITES occupied the mountains, southward of the Promised Land. The HIVITES dwelt by Ebal and Gerizim, Sichem, and Gibeon, toward the mountains of Hermon. The PERIZ ZITES were probably not a distinct nation or tribe, but rather villagers, scattered through the country in general. The GIRGASHITES possessed the country beyond the Jordan, toward the lake of Gennesareth: the JEBUSITES possessed Jerusalem: and the AMORITES occupied the mountainous country in the vicinity of the western part of the Dead sea, and also that part of the land of Moab which the Israelites conquered from Sihon and Og.

Verse 12. Take you twelve men] See the note on chap. iv. 2.

Verse 15. And the feet of the priests were dipped in the brim of the water] Thus we find that every thing occurred exactly in the way in which Joshua had foretold

it.

This must have greatly increased his credit among the people.

For Jordan overfloweth all his banks, &c.] It has often been remarked, that there was no need of a miracle in crossing Jordan, as it is but an inconsiderable stream, easily fordable; being but about twenty yards in breadth. But the circumstance marked here by the sacred historian proves, that there was a time in the year, viz. in the harrest, that this said river overflowed his banks: and this is confirmed by another place in Scripture, 1 Chron. xii. 15. As the miracle reported here took place about the beginning of April, a time in which rivers in general are less than in winter, it may be asked, how there could be such an increase of waters at this time? The simple fact is, that the Jordan, as we have already seen, has its origin at the foot of Mount Lebanon; which mountain is always covered with snow, during the winter months: in those months, therefore, the river is low; but when the summer's sun has melted these snows, there is consequently a prodigious increase of waters, so that the old channel is not capable of containing them; and this accounts for the statement in the text, that the Jordan overfloweth his banks all the time of harvest: and this was the time which God chose they should pass over it, that a miraculous interposition might be necessary; and that by the miracle they should be convinced of his omnipotence, who was not only their guide, but had promised to put them in possession of this good land.

Verse 16. Rose up upon a heap] That is, they continued to accumulate, filling up the whole of the channel toward the source, and the adjacent ground over which they were now spread, to a much greater depth; the

ites over Jordan, he was commanded to take twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, to be a memorial that the ground in the very midst of that river had been made dry. But where was this memorial to be set up? The ninth verse says-Joshua set up these stones IN the midst of Jordan. But is it likely that the stones should be placed, or set down, where they were taken up: and that the memorial should be erected there, where, when the river was again united, it would be concealed, and of course could be no memorial at all? This, however, flatly contradicts the rest of the chapter; which says these stones were pitched in Gilgal, where Israel lodged in Canaan for the first time. The solution of this difficulty is, that na betoc, IN the midst, should be here no mitoc, FROM the midst, as in ver. 3, 8, 20. and as the word is here also in the Syriac version. The true rendering therefore is, And Joshua set up the twelve stones (taken) FROM the midst of Jordan," &c. I confess I see no need for this criticism, which is not supported by a single MS. either in his own or De Rossi's collection, though they amount to four hundred and ninety-four in number. Twelve stones might be gathered in different parts of the bed of the Jordan, and be set up as a pillar in another, and be a continual visible memorial of this grand event. And if twelve were set up in Gilgal as a memorial of their first encampment in Canaan: it is still more likely, that twelve would be set up in the bed of the river, to show where it had been divided, and the place where the Israelitish host had passed over dry shod. The reader may follow the opinion he judges most likely.

Verse 10. And the people hasted, and passed over.] How very natural is this circumstance! The people seeing the waters divided, and Jordan running back, might be a apprehensive that it would soon resume its wonted course; and this would naturally lead them to hasten over, with as much speed as possible. The circumstance itself, thus marked, is a proof that the relator was an eyewitness of this miraculous passage.

Verse 12. The children of Reuben, and-Gad] Concerning the numbers of these tribes that staid behind, to take care of the women, children, and cattle, and which amounted to 70,580 men, see the note on Numb. xxxii. 17. Passed over armed.] See on chap. i. ver. 14. Verse 14. The Lord magnified Joshua] See the note on chap. iii. 7.

Verse 18. The waters of Jordan returned unto their place] It is particularly remarked by the sacred historian, that as soon as the soles of the priests' feet touched the water, the stream of the Jordan was cut off, chap. iii. 15. and the course of the river continued to be inverted all the time they continued in its channel: and that, as soon as the soles of their feet had touched the dry land, on their return from the bed of the river, the waters immediately resumed their natural course. All this was done by the sovereign influence of that God, whose presence was represented by the

ark of the covenant.

Verse 19. On the tenth day of the first month] As the Israelites left Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, A. M. 2513, see Exod. xiv. and they entered into Canaan

19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped 2 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 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, 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.

h

d Ch. 3. 17.-e Exod. 14. 21.-f1 Kings 8. 42, 43. 2 Kings 19. 19. Paa 106 8 g Exod. 45. 16. 1 Chron. 29. 12. Psa. 89. 13-1 Exod. 14. 31. Deat. 6. 2. Psa. 89. 7. Jer. 10. 7.-i Heb. all days.

the tenth of the first month, A. M. 2553, it is evident that forty years, wanting five days, had elapsed, from the time of their exodus from Egypt, to their entrance into the promised inheritance.

Encamped in Gilgal] That is, in the place that was afterward called Gilgal, see chap. v. 9. for here the name is given it by anticipation. In Hebrew, gal, signifies to roll; and the doubling of the root baba galgal, or gilgal, signifies rolling round and round, or rolling off, or away, because, in circumcising the children that had been born in the wilderness, Joshua rolled away, rolled of completely, the reproach of the people. From this time Gilgal became a place of considerable eminence in the sacred history. 1. It was the place where the Israelitish camp rested the first night of their entering into that land, which had been promised to their fathers from the days of Abraham. 2. It was the place in which Joshua circumcised all the people who had been born in the wilderness, during the forty years of their wandering after they left Egypt. 3. It was the place in which Joshua had what we might term his fortified camp; and to which he and his army constantly returned, after each of their expeditions against the inhabitants of the land. 4. It appears to have been the place where all the women, children, cattle, and goods, &c. were lodged, probably, during the whole of the Canaanitish war. 5. It was the place where they celebrated the first passover they kept in the promised land. 6. It was the place where Saul, the first king of Israel, was proclaimed. 7. There the manna ceased to fall. And, 8. there the ark was fixed, till after the conquest of the country it was removed to Shiloh.

Gilgal was about ten furlongs from Jericho, and fifty from Jordan: Jericho being on the west, and Jordan on the east, Gilgal being between both. See Josephus, De Bello, &c. lib. v. c. 4. and Calmet on this place. Calmet supposes there was neither city nor town here before the arrival of the Israelites.

Verse 20. Those twelve stones] It is very likely that a base of mason-work was erected of some considerable height, and then the twelve stones placed on the top of it; and that this was the case both in Jordan and in Gilgal: for twelve such stones as a man could carry a considerable way on his shoulder, see ver. 5. could scarcely have made any observable altar, or pillar of memorial: but erected on a high base of mason-work, they would be very conspicuous, and thus properly answer the end for which God ordered them to be set up.

Verse 22. Then ye shall let your children know] The necessity of an early religious education is inculcated through the whole oracles of God. The parents who neglect it, have an awful account to give to the Judge of the quick and dead.

Verse 24. That all the people of the earth might know] It is very likely that Nycol âmmey ha-arets, means simply, all the people of this land-all the Canaanitish nations, to whom, by the miracles wrought in behalf of his people, he intended to show his eternal power and Godhead, the excellence of his protection, and the una