V. 1-6. And compassed the mountain Seir a long time 2c.
This is (as he himself says in the text) thirty-eight years, so that the godless murmurers would perish gradually and the Gentiles would be given room to repent, and the unbelieving Amorites an annoyance, that they would be hardened by this weakness of God's people. But this journey was in stony Arabia (for Idumea is the largest part of it) from Kades-Barnea at the border of the promised land in the south to the Red Sea; after that, after a long journey, they turned back to the east to the Moabites. Then follows:
"Ye have now compassed the mountains enough; turn ye toward the north," [v. 3.] namely, leaving the Edomites on the left, and the Moabites and Ammonites (who dwell east of the promised land) on the right, so that they turned straight way northward to the Amorites, but afterward, when the Amorites were conquered, turned westward, and passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan, as may be well seen in the map (tabula).
But Moses writes in this place that the three nations, the Edomites, the Moabites and the Ammonites, were exempted by the Lord, while he says in Numbers 20:21 that the Edomites forcibly prevented Israel from passing through. But this happened in different places. What is written in the fourth book of Moses happened in Kadesh, on the border of Edom and the Amorites, where they could cross over to the Amorites by a short way. But the
The Lord made it so that the Edomites refused. In this passage he writes about the border of the Edomites and Moabites, after the very long detour in the mountains of Edom, through the way of the Red Sea, where those nations, already frightened by the miracles and the power of God, which had been shown in Israel, needed the protection of God. But the Lord took care of them because of what their fathers Lot and Isaac had earned, who had believed in God, so He did not want their name to be blotted out.
But sweetly and kindly he commands that they not raid and plunder the Edomites, inculcating and telling them of the benefits and promises God has received:
V. 7-23 For the LORD your God has blessed you 2c.
As if he wanted to say: It is not necessary for you to be full of worry or stingy, and do not let it be burdensome for you to buy from them what is necessary for you, because you have superfluous that you can buy 2c.
Notice, however, that the history of this people, when viewed in detail (in specie), seems to be like the pagan histories, for in the same way victory and defeat alternate, soon there is abundance and soon there is lack, and even if miracles are shown so often, God hides himself so much that it seems as if everything is governed by human cleverness and chance. Without a doubt, this is how it appeared to all the godless pagans, which is why they set themselves against them and acted against them as if there were no God.
God would be in Israel. Therefore, 1) the histories of this people must be separated from all the histories of the Gentiles as far as heaven is from earth. In the histories of the Gentiles one can see either the greatness or the littleness of the works, but in this one only this one thing is to be admired and revered, namely the word of God, by whose guidance and according to whose will everything is carried out and happens. Yes, they are truly called holy histories, not because those things are done by holy people, but because they are done according to the holy word of God, which sanctifies all things, and in his holy name and in God's stead.
Therefore, although the deeds of all pagans are also nothing but miracles and works of God, they do not have the testimony of God's word and pleasure. Therefore, their things and histories are only testimonies (testes) of God's wrath, very terrible manifestations of God's terrible judgment. Therefore, the histories of the whole world, if taken in a heap, are incomparably less than a single one, and that is the very least history of this people. And that is why the arrogant and carnal people are deceived by the simplicity of the things in the Scriptures, because they do not take God's word into consideration and only take the things into account.
"He knoweth thy way" [v. 7. Vulg.] is a figure of speech (idiom) peculiar to the Hebrew language, as Ps. 1:6: "The LORD knoweth the way of the righteous"; Matt. 25:12: "Verily I say unto you, I know not your way." This is a word of excellent consolation, by which faith is kindled, as we say in German, "Er nahm sichs an," he recognized it and made it his concern, so that it denotes the heart rather than the mind, as is implied by the word-formation and the words of this sacred language. For if you show by deed that you know or do not know someone, then in truth it can be said of you that you know him or you do not know him.
1) Here begins the postscript to the prefatory sentence begun in the beginning of this paragraph: "although the history of this people" 2c. Here, instead of "therefore" (läso), "nevertheless" (bumsn) should be placed.
"Elath" and "Ezeongaber" [v. 8] are cities of the kingdom of Edom, situated at the Red Sea, which are also famous in the holy scriptures. "Ar" [v. 9] is the capital of the Moabites, like Rabbah that of the Ammonites, and Sela, that is stone, that of the Edomites, from which the stony Arabia has its name. Further, Moses here makes a distinction among the giants, who in Hebrew are called by a common name Rephaim (XXXX). Those who were driven out of the mountains of Seir by the Edomites he calls "Horites" [v. 12.]; the Moabites called theirs, whom they had driven out, "Emim" [v. 10. f.], the Ammonites theirs "Sammesumim" [v. 20.), the Cananites theirs "Enakim" (v. 10.). Therefore the same tyrants were called by different names by different people. With this agrees Gen. 14, 5. where he mentions that by the king of the Elamites the giants were defeated in Astharoth (which later belonged to the kingdom of Ogs in Bashan), and the Susin and Emim and Horites on their mountain Seir. Likewise Gen. 6, 4. he calls the giants before the flood Niphlim.
But the Rephaim have their name from healing (XXX), namely because those noblemen and heroes of the country also wanted to be called fathers of the fatherland and saviors. Emim comes from XXX, which means terror; they are called terrible and fearful people, because they rage with violence and weapons. Horites (XXX) are called noble, distinguished, shining (candidi), the best (optimates), of the white color (candore), either because the princes in the Orient wear white clothes, like the Latins wear the state dress (trabea.) and purple, or because they are handsome before others. Sammesumim comes from m, which means crime or shameful deed, namely because they were outstanding murderers and robbers, and subordinated everything to themselves as they pleased. Enakim comes from wearing a necklace, as if they had been provided with a necklace (torquati). Niphlim comes from fall (XXX), because they invade, prostrate and oppress by force.
Of that Moses writes that the "Avim" [v. 23.] were driven out of Hazerim by the Cappadocians, One does not know for certain what he
unless he sets an example by which he wants to show that when the Lord commands and changes the kingdoms as he wills, one people drives out the other, so that he is God not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles, as he says here [v. 9, 19]: "For I have given it to the children of Lot to possess," and [v. 5]: "To Esau I have given the mountain Seir." For that almost all here make the Cappadocians out of "Caphthorim," I know not whether they are guided by the resemblance of the name, since the Cappadocians are in Asia; unless they mean that only a small crew of the Cappadocians broke out against the Avim. Furthermore, those whom Jerome calls Avim (Evaeos) are not the Hevites (Hevaei) in the land of Canaan, which were handed over to the children of Israel, because these are called Hivi (XX) in the XXX, written with n, but those Avim (XXX), written with X. With this name Jos. 18, 23. also a city in the tribe Benjamin is called. "Hazerim" but seems to be the same as Hazeroth, one of the storehouses, Num. 33, 17. of which ersuch said above Cap. 1, 1. "Gaza" is certainly the city in Palestine. So it seems that the Avim dwelt between the land of Canaan and Egypt, at the back of Mount Seir or Arabia, adjoining the Midianites.
V. 24. Go over the brook Arnon.
Everywhere the words read as if "Arnon" was the name of a brook, although Jerome says it was the name of a high rising rock between the Moabites and the Amorites. If this is true, then the brook must have been in the cave under the rock, to which Moses also alludes in 4 Mos. 21, 28. where he tells that one sang in the folk song: "The fire has devoured the citizens of the height Arnon", and at the end of this chapter [V. 36.] he seems to separate "the brook" from "Arnon", since he says of the city, which lies at the brook, and does not add "Arnon".
V. 24. 25. Behold, I have given Sihon into your hands 2c.
The promise is renewed, and God's word is sent ahead, according to whose command and direction the matter is to be carried out in faith.
not by presumption or human counsel, as we have said. But it is a glorious promise that the king Sihon is given into their hands, so that they are sure of victory, and not only this, but that he predicts that also the terror of the name of Israel will come upon all nations, so that they can be sure everywhere that there will be no enemies either from the side or from the back to come to the aid of the Amorites, and that the Israelites should not care about anything but how they kill the Amorites.
V. 26-29. Then I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth.
"Kedemoth" is listed in Jos. 13, 18. among the cities of the tribe of Reuben, although others want to infer from this passage that it is also the name of a desert. But I believe that Moses wants to say: I have sent messengers from the desert, which belongs to the city Kedemoth, so that it is only the name of the city, namely that Moses wants, he was not in the city, but in the desert near the city, namely in the beginning of the area of the Amorites.
But you see here that peace is also offered first to the enemies, of whom 5 Mos. 20, 16. is commanded that they should be completely destroyed, so that everything is killed, which is why the whole community (vulgus) in the book of Joshua Cap. 9, 18. grumbled against the rulers, because they had made a covenant with the Gibeonites. This must therefore be understood in such a way that they first had to offer peace to all; whoever rejected it was to be killed; but those who surrendered were to become interest-bearing [Deut. 20:10 ff].
V. 30-35. The LORD your God hardened his spirit.
Here the glory and power of the free will is praised, namely that it is nothing but nothing, as it is also said in Rom. 1, 24: "God has given them over to the desires of their hearts," and Cap. 9, 18: "He stifles whom he wills. So if he is able to do anything, let him do it, so that he will not be hardened by the Lord. But to harden means to allow the hearts to be stiff, proud, and
and become secure, or be not afraid, that they may be presumptuous of all things, fearing neither wrath nor judgment.
V. 36. 37. From Aroer, which is on the user of the stream near Arnon.
He mentions two cities, Aroer, which is situated higher than the bank of the brook (super ripam), the other one at the brook. I understand this to mean that Aroer was on the summit of Mount Arnon, as Jerome says; this mountain has a stream flowing down the valley to it, on which the other city was located. But Aroer he [Moses] gave to the tribe Gad, Jos. 13, 24.
Notice here how there seems to be a great lie in Moses. The king Sihon had only a kingdom so large that two tribes, Reuben and Gad, took it, that is, a people about six times smaller than that of Moses. What a glorious victory, then, that such a numerous people should have been able to take the kingdom.
people of Israel overcame such a small nation? What need was there here of the promises of God? or where is here the so beautiful appearance of a great miracle? But, as I have said, for these forty years he had humbled his people in the wilderness, and had ruled them, as it were, as a fugitive; after that he had permitted them to be smitten at times by the Amalekites and Cananites. Therefore the enemies, the Amorites, were puffed up and forgot themselves to defeat them with small crew. Meanwhile, however, the people of God had learned to rely on the power of God alone. This is how the Lord always governs His people, so that it seems as if they are completely defeated and their enemies have completely gained the victory, and this is how He fulfills His miraculous deeds.
We have seen the secret interpretations of the kings and the names in the first chapter. And the killing certainly means the killing of sin by the word of God.