Verse 26. "out of his hand." I am persuaded that is a corruption of the proper name of some place which originally belonged to the Moabites, and from which Sihon's conquests extended to the Arnon. For, Verse 28. "Ar of Moab." For , the Samaritan, LXX, and a MS. or two, read, "even unto Moab." But it seems difficult to understand in what sense the fire might be said to consume as far as Moab, which consumed nothing else. May not the true reading have been ?"even unto Ar of Moab." The fire of the war reached so far, and there it stopped. For Ar was not taken; but between Heshbon and Ar nothing escaped. -"of the high places;" rather, pels." "of the cha Verse 30. "We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished," &c. The two former verses celebrate the conquest of the Moabites by Sihon; in this, the Israelites triumph over the conqueror. Read thus, וניים אבד חשבון עד דבון ונשם עד נפח אש על מידבא : is the passive נשם .are in apposition חשבון and ניר verb, used impersonally, vastatur; and the order is The whole verse may be thus נשם עד דבון יעד נפח rendered: Bút Heshbon, their bright lamp, is destroyed; Devastation is spread as far as Dibon and Nopha : The fire reaches to Medeba.* CHAP. XXV, 4. Read with Houbigant and Kenni כח את כל ראשי העם ויהרגו איש אנושיו הנצמדים,cott .c& לבעל פעור והיקע אותם "Take all the heads * The whole passage may be thus rendered: 27 Come unto Heshbon: let it be built up. 28 Truly a fire is gone forth from Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon: It hath devoured Ar of Moab, The Baalim of the chapels of Arnon. 29 Wo unto thee, O Moab! O people of Chemosh, thou art undone! He hath given up his sons to be fugitives, 30 But Heshbon, their bright lamp, is destroyed; We have laid waste as far as Dibon: Unto Nophah the fire reacheth, unto Medebah. of the people, and let them slay each his men that were joined unto Baalpeor; and hang them up before Jehovah against the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may be turned away from Israel." Verse 5. ויהרגו slay ye." Read with Houbigant, "So Moses spake unto the Judges of Israel, and they slew every one his men," &c. Verse 6. --" and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman; or, "and brought unto his brother, i. e. unto one of his brethren." LXX. See the CHAP. xxvi, 3, 4. This passage is undoubtedly corrupt. 37, in the 3d verse, is an unusual construction; and the sense in the 4th is defective. The easiest emendation will be thus: at the beginning of verse 3d, for 7", read "; at the end of for, read לאמר or rather, for לאמר the verse expunge ; and instead of the full stop between the verses, place only a comma. In the 4th verse place a full stop at D. Then the two verses may be thus rendered: 3. "And Moses and Eleazar the priest numbered them in the plains of Moab by Jordan-Jericho, every male, 4. From twenty years old and upwards, as Jehovah had commanded Moses. Now the child ren of Israel who came forth out of Egypt [were these]: 5. Reuben," &c. Verse 51." 601,730." The sum found at the former enumeration (chap. i, 46) was 603,550. The diminution, therefore, during the wandering in the wilderness was 1,820, or nearly. CHAP. XXVII. -"And it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment," &c.; rather, 66 so it was a settled rule of decision to the children of Israel," &c. See Houbigant. Verse 23.-" by the hand of Moses." The Samaritan copy goes on," And he said unto him, Thine eyes have seen what Jehovah hath done unto these two kings. So shall Jehovah do unto all the kingdoms yonder, whither thou art going. Fear them not, for Jehovah, your God, he wageth war for you." CHAP. XXViii, 9. "And on the Sabbath-day two lambs," &c. On the Sabbath the daily offering was doubled, as it should seem both morning and evening. Verse 15. "beside the continual burnt-offering," &c. It is probable from what follows, verses 23 and 24, that these additional sacrifices were all offered in the morning. Be that as it may, it is cer tain that two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs, and one kid, with their meat-offerings and libations, made the whole additional sacrifice of the day. Verse 27, -"two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs." This was an offering in addition to the daily burnt-offering (verse 31), and probably offered with it in the morning. The sacrifice required (Levit. xxiii, 18), consisting of seven lambs, two rams, one bullock, and a sin-offering of one kid, and a peaceoffering of two lambs, was another. It was offered on the same day, but at a different time of the day, namely, with the loaves of the new flour. CHAP. XXIX, 18. -"according to their number, after the manner;" rather, " for their number, according to the rule." CHAP. XXXI, 15. "Have ye saved all the women alive?" rather, with the Samaritan, "Wherefore have ye saved all these women alive?" 23. Verse 21. “ And Eleazar the priest said unto the men- Moses. 22. Only the gold-lead. Every thing-water. 24. And camp." In the Samaritan the passage ye shall wash stands thus, 21." And Moses said unto Eleazar the priest, Say unto the men-Jehovah commanded; 22. |