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ANNOTATIONS

ON

THE PENTATEUCH

Or the Five Books of Moses;

THE PSALMS OF DAVID;

AND THE

SONG OF SOLOMON

BY HENRY AINSWORTH.

WITH A MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR.

VOL. II.

BLACKIE & SON,

QUEEN STREET, GLASGOW; SOUTH COLLEGE STREET, EDINBURGH;

AND WARWICK SQUARE, LONDON.
MDCCCXLIII.

GLASGOW:

W. G. BLACKIE AND CO.,

PRINTERS.

THEC

I

THE

BOOK OF NUMBERS.

CHAP. XI.

1. The people complaining, God punisheth them with fire, which at Moses' prayer is quenched. 4. They lust for flesh, and loath manna. 10. Moses, grieved at their murmuring, complaineth to God of his charge. 16. God divideth his burden unto seventy elders which bear it with him, 18, and promiseth to give the people flesh. 24. The seventy elders have the spirit of prophecy. 31. God by a wind bringeth quails into the camp, which the people gathering and eating, do die of a plague at Kibroth-hattaavah. 35. The camp removeth to Hazeroth.

'AND the people was when they were complainers, evil in the ears of Jehovah: and Jehovah heard, and his anger was kindled ; and a fire of Jehovah burnt among them and consumed them in the

VER. 1.—AND THE PEOPLE,] Hitherto in this book, God's grace to his people hath been manifested in the ordering, directing, and governing of them in the wilderness, towards their promised inheritance: now followeth their unthankfulness and unworthy carriage among so great blessings, by their many murmurings and rebellions; whereby both the disobedient nature of man, and the impossibility of the law to bring men unto God, is declared. WHEN THEY WERE COMPLAINERS,] Or, as complainers; that is, even complainers, very murmurers; grudging, and showing themselves discontented with their estate; and (as is likely) for their so long travel in the wilderness, 'three days journey' before they came to a resting place, Num. x. 33, and thus Sol. Jarchi here expoundeth it. So whereas they should have rejoiced in the Lord now among them, they showed themselves as mourners, sorrowful, and (as the Gr. translateth) murmuring. Of such 'murmurers' and complainers,' the apostle also speaketh, Jude ver. 16. EVIL,] This seemeth to VOL. II.

A

have reference to the first, the people was evil, that is, wicked, and so displeasing the Lord: the Gr. referreth it to the latter, the people murmured evil things before the Lord. A FIRE OF JEHOVAH,] That is, as the Gr. expoundeth it, from the Lord, and the Chald. from before the Lord: though it may also mean a great and vehement fire. Their rebellions before the law was given at mount Sinai, God punished not, Exod. xiv. 11-15; xv. 24, 26; xvi. 2-4, 9, 20, 27, 28; xvii. 2 -5, save only when they made the molten calf at the mount, Exod. xxxii. 27, 28, 35. But their sins committed after, he punisheth severely, as here and after is to be seen: for, the law worketh wrath,' Rom. iv. 15. And 'all these things happened unto them for ensamples to us,' 1 Cor. x. 5-11. CONSUMED,] Or, devoured, Heb. did eat. The Gr. translateth, devoured a part of the camp. In that the fire consumed in the utmost part,' it is probable that there the sin began among them that were faint and weary with travel; as Deut. xxv. 18.

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