Annotations.
IF there arise] or, when there shall stand up; by [unspec 1] which word is signified the open and bold cari∣age of deceivers. Moses having from the first com∣mandement, taught the doctrine of one only God, whom wee should in faith, love, and obedience have to bee ours, and give our selves to him; and from the second commandement, taught the right way of serving this God, according to his owne word, doth now from the third commandement, teach to beware of the abuse of Gods name and word unto vanity, heresie, or idolatry; and so ge∣nerally warneth Israel to take heed lest they trans∣gressed the first and second commandements by the breach of the third. in the middest of thee] speaking to Israel, amongst whom many false pro∣phets did arise, 2 Pet. 2. 1. Vnto which danger all Churches are subject, as it is said, Moreover of your owne selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, Act. 20. 30. a Prophet] a publike seducer, touching whom hee giveth warning first, as after∣wards of the private, in v. 6. &c. What a Prophet signifieth, is noted on Gen. 20. 7. and Exod. 7. 1. dreames] this was one of the waies, by which prophesie came of old unto men, Num. 12. 6. Ier. 23. 25. 28. By a Prophet he seemeth to denote the principall sort, such as saw visions: by a dreamer, the inferiour sort, that saw things more obscurely. he give] either by word and promise, or by action or gesture, as 1 King. 13. 3. and 22. 11. Mat. 12. 39, 40. wonder] any miraculous, or super∣naturall thing; as Iannes and Iambres in appea∣rance turned water into bloud, Exod. 7. 22.
Vers. 2. or the wonder] Hebr. and the wonder: [unspec 2] these are said to come, when they are effected or fulfilled: so Ier. 28. 9. Deut. 18. 22. saying] that is, and he say: as saying in 1 Chron. 13. 12. is ex∣pounded, and said in 2 Sam. 6. 9. so in 2 King. 22. 9. compared with 2 Chron. 34. 16. after other gods] the Greeke explaineth it, and serve other gods; which the Chaldee calleth, idols of the peoples. Thus the religion given of God by the hand of Moses, was established against all opposition that after might arise, upon what pretence soever: And so the saith taught by Christ and his Apostles, was confirmed against the future signes, and lying won∣ders of Antichrist, 2 Thess. 2. 9. 10. The Hebrews say, If there stand up a prophet, and hee doth great signes and wonders, and seeketh to denie (or make false) the prophesie of Moses, wee may not hearken unto him, but wee know certainly, that those signes are by enchantment and sorcery. For the prophesie of Mo∣ses was not by signes, &c. but with out eies we saw, and with our eares we heard as he did heare, &c. There∣fore the Law saith, If the signe or wonder come to passe, thou shalt not hearken to the words of that Pro∣phet, (Deut. 13.) for loe, hee commeth unto thee with signe and wonder, to make that false which thou hast seene with thine eies. And for as much as we be∣leeve not in a wonder, but because of the commande∣ment which Moses commanded us; how should wee receive this signe, which commeth to make the prophe∣sie of Moses false, which we saw and heard? Maimo∣ny tom. in Iesude hatorah, chap. 8. sect. 3. See also the annotations on Exod. 19. 9.
Vers. 3. that dreamer] or, the dreamer of that [unspec] dreame; and so the Greeke translateth it. God tempteth] or proveth: See the notes on Gen. 22. 1. But there God himselfe immediately tempted A∣braham; here mediatly, and that by evill meanes, which he of his grace and wisdome ordereth and disposeth for good to his people: as also the Apo∣stle saith, There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may bee made manifest a∣mong you, 1 Cor. 11. 19.
Vers. 4. After Iehovah] the Chaldee saith, af∣ter [unspec 4] the feare of the Lord your God. Here the Lord and his commandements are opposed to all other: so that after Iehovah, meaneth after him onely; as our Saviour expoundeth a like speech, Mat. 4. 10. from Deut. 6.
Vers. 5. spoken revolt] or apostasie, that is, spoken [unspec 5] words to cause thee to revolt, or turne away; as the Greeke translateth, to make thee to erre from the Lord. This judgment of the false Prophet (as all other weighty matters) none but the high councell of 71 Elders might judge of, as the Hebrewes say, Talmud. Bab. in Sanhedrin, c. 1. and Maimony in Sanhedrin, c. 5. See the annotations on Num. 11. 30. the evill] both person and worke; as the Chaldee translateth, the evill doer: the Greeke, the evill thing: but in Deut. 17. 7. the Greeke transla∣teth, the evill one; which Paul approveth, using the same words, in 1 Cor. 5. 13.
Vers. 6. thy brother] by nature, or in the same [unspec 6] faith and Church: but the Greeke addeth, thy bro∣ther on thy fathers side, or on thy mothers. son of thy mother] such are dearest brethren, as the exam∣ple of Ioseph and Benjamin sheweth, Gen. 43. 34. and 45. 12, 14. daughter] Love and affection descendeth from parents to children, as it were by inheritance; and the daughter for in firmity of sex, is most spared and pittied; but may not so bee in this case. of thy bosome] the Greeke saith, which is in thy bosome, as thine owne soule] most de••re∣ly loved, put therefore in the last place; for a friend sticketh closer than a brother, Prov. 18. 24. And as man and wife are one flesh, Matt. 19. 6. so friends here are as one soule. intice] with motions, rea∣sons, exhortations; the Greeke translateth, exhort: the Chaldee, counsell. The Hebrewes write; Hee that entiseth any one of Israel, whether man or wo∣man, he is to be stoned; although neither the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nor the intised, hath worshipped the idoll, yet he d••••th