Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXIII.

Vers. 2. ANd Joshua called for all Israel, &c.] That is, the representative body of all Israel, to wit, as it is explained in the following words, the El∣ders of each tribe, together with their Magistrates and Judges and Officers.

Vers. 5. And the Lord your God, He shall expell them from before you, &c.] That is, though I die and leave the work which is begun unfinished, yet assure your selves, if you continue stedfast to the Lord, he who indeed hath done what hath been done, will perfect the work begun, and perform all that he hath promised; he shall expell the rest of the nations that are not yet expelled before you.

Vers. 7. That ye come not amongst these nations, these that remain among you, &c.] That is, that ye no wayes familiarly converse with them: and this is menti∣oned in the first place, because they that yield familiarly to converse with Idolatours,

will by degrees be also drawn to the evils mentioned in the following words, even to make marriages with them, to swear by their gods, and at last to bow down to them and worship them. As for making mention of the names of their gods, the next particular here forbidden; see the note Exod. 23.13.

Vers. 8. But cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day.] By cleaving to the Lord, is meant, that they should continue constant in yielding obedience to God, and in resting and relying upon him, yea, upon him alone as their God alsufficient. Nor need it seem strange unto us that he should say of a people that had been so prone to rebell against God, Cleave unto the Lord—as ye have done unto this day. For first, the Israelites, though they were ever and anon murmuring against God, and turning aside from the way of his commandments, yet they had never for the generallity cast off the worship of the true God, to go after the gods of the heathen: And secondly, this Joshua might speak with reference to the time of his government, as ye have done to this day, that is, since the time you en∣tred the land of Canaan, or since the time you came to be under my government; for indeed since that time we reade not of any notable rebellion of this people against God; it is said that the people served the Lord all the dayes of Joshua, Judg. 2.7.

Vers. 12. Else if you do in any wise go back and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, &c.] Here Joshua begins to tell them how severely God would pu∣nish them in case they did go back, that is, revolt from that good way of their obe∣dience to God, wherein they had hitherto gone, and cleave unto the remnant of those nations, that is, marry them and lie with them, for so this phrase of cleaving to those nations is explained in the following words, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you. Yet I know that this word cleave may be meant generally of any joyning themselves to those nations either in leagues or otherwise.

Vers. 13. But they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thornes in your eyes, &c.] To wit, because they will be continually by their al∣lurements drawing you to idolatry and other sinnes, and by their injuries vexing and disquieting you; yet some hold, that by being thorns in their eyes is meant, that they should by degrees so farre blind them, that they should not be able to discern the clear light of the truth. See Numb. 33.55.

Vers. 14. And behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth, &c.] That is, I see my death approcheth; now because I cannot hope long to continue amongst you to keep you constant in your covenant with God, therefore I thought good to give you warning, that after my departure ye depart not from the Lord, and to tell you beforehand what will become of you, if you transgresse the covenant of the Lord your God.

Vers. 15. So shall the Lord bring upon you all evill things, untill he have de∣stroyed you from off this good land, &c.] That is, as the Lord hath hitherto made good all that he hath promised you, so if you transgresse his covenant he will bring upon you all the evils threatned, even at last the causing of you to be carried cap∣tive out of this good land; and this last judgement of destroying them out of the land of Canaan he particularly insists upon, because it must needs affect them to heare of losing so goodly a land, when after so many years travels and difficulties they were now newly entred into it.