(16) And I charged your judges . . . saying.—These instructions given by Moses are an admirable expansion, but only an expansion, of those of Jethro(Exodus 18:21), that the judges must be “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness”—a sentence older than the Decalogue itself. read more
Imperative and Desirable Changes Deuteronomy 1:6 ' The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb.' And He has been saying it at intervals ever since to communities and families and individuals, and often to their pain and wonder. I. On one side of our human nature we are never satisfied, always craving for enlargement and novelty. But on another side we are satisfied far too easily; we want to settle down in comfort, to be undisturbed, to rest and be content with the amount of knowledge we have, or... read more
THE DIVINE GOVERNMENTDeuteronomy 1:1-46; Deuteronomy 2:1-37; Deuteronomy 3:1-29AFTER these preliminary discussions we now enter upon the exposition. With the exception of the first two verses of chapter 1, concerning which there is a doubt whether they do not belong to Numbers, these three chapters stand out as the first section of our book. Examination shows that they form a separate and distinct whole, not continued in chapter 4; but there has been a great diversity of opinion as to their... read more
2. From Horeb to Kadesh 1. The command to go in and to possess the land (Deuteronomy 1:6-8 ) 2. The appointment of judges reviewed (Deuteronomy 1:9-18 ) 3. The failure to possess the land (Deuteronomy 1:19-33 ) 4. The judgment of God (Deuteronomy 1:34-46 ) In the beginning of our annotations we must guard once more against the misleading conception, that the book of Deuteronomy is nothing but a rehearsal of previous history. On account of this wrong estimate, the book has not received... read more
THE COMMAND TO LEAVE HOREB (vs.1-8) In Numbers 32:1-42 Israel is seen to remain in the area east of Jordan long enough for the two and a half tribes to build cities. Thus God required no haste as to their entering the land. These addresses of Moses in Deuteronomy were delivered at that time, spoken to "all Israel" (v.1). Moses must have maintained a powerful voice (at age 120 years) to be able to make possible 3,000.000 people hear him! Verse 2 tells that from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to... read more
REVIEW OF ISRAEL ’S HISTORY A book written by Canon Bernard entitled The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament, shows not only that the contents of its books are inspired, but their arrangement and order as well. The same might be said of the Old Testament, especially of the Pentateuch. To illustrate, the purpose of the Bible is to give the history of redemption through a special seed. In Genesis we have the election of that seed (Abraham), in Exodus their redemption, in Leviticus their... read more
Remarkable Things Deu 1:6 This is the first remarkable thing in the opening chapter of the fifth book of Moses. God knows, then, how long we have been here or there. Our downsitting and our uprising, our going out and our coming in, are of consequence to him who made us. He keeps the time: he knows when we have been "long enough" in one place. He does not always consult us, saying, in terms of affectionate inquiry, Would you desire to tarry longer here? would it suit you to remain another... read more
All these verses refer to that period in Israel's history, in which at the advice of Jethro, and by the divine permission, Moses took into the administration of justice with himself, certain of the elders of Israel. See Exodus 18:13-26 . read more
9-18 Moses reminds the people of the happy constitution of their government, which might make them all safe and easy, if it was not their own fault. He owns the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham, and prays for the further accomplishment of it. We are not straitened in the power and goodness of God; why should we be straitened in our own faith and hope? Good laws were given to the Israelites, and good men were to see to the execution of them, which showed God's goodness to them, and the... read more
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Deuteronomy 1:9-18
(9-18) In these words Moses appears to combine the recollection of two distinct things: (1) the advice of Jethro (Exodus 18:0), by following which he would be relieved from the ordinary pressure of litigation; (2) the still further relief afforded him by the appointment of the seventy elders. These last received the gift of prophecy, and were thus enabled to relieve Moses from some of the higher responsibilities of his office by representing his mind and reproducing his personal influence in... read more