NUMBERS XXII. mateth that they being frangers,had no right to invade the land ; their covering the face of the land, fhewed their number to be great; and they having fubdued the Amoritcs, and filled their 'land , could not eafily be refilled ; their abiding over againft Moab, was a ligne (as they thought) that Ifrtielwould next invade their countrey, But in all this,the truth of Ifrael cafe and cariagewas concealed; for here is no mention how God had of old prornifed them the land of Canaan, GeneC 15. 18. or, how the Canaanites tvickedneffe was grown Co great, that their land fhould fpue them out, Lev. t 8.24 25. neither fpeaketh he of their wrongfull oppreffion and bondage in Egypt , and miraculous deliverance from thence, Exo. a, &c. nor how.Ifrael being come , had not harmed ei- ther Edon or Moab, but paffed by them in peace, Deut. 2.4, 8, 9, 13. and warred only with the curled Canaanites devoted unto defteu &ion. Though Moab could not but know thefe things as well as Edom,Num.zo.14,15, &c. yet would he mention none of them; neither was he content that his brother Ifael should doe to theGanaa- nites, as Moab himiclfe,and Edom,and Ammon had done before to the Emims, Horims, and Zamzum- mint , whom they had call out of their inheri- tances , and dwelt in their Beads, Dent. 2.9,10, ¡2,20,25. For this confpiracie with Balsam, and his endevour to deftroy Gods people, it is Cad, Balakarofeand warred againfi Ifrael, Jof.24.9. 6 Vera 6. Now therefre come] Hebrew ; And now come. His purpofc being by a curfè upon them, to bereave them of Gods favour and prote&ion,he would have him to come, that by neernefli of pis perfon,and by beholding them, his fpeech might have more vehemencie of spirit, and better effe &, as he fuppofed. So Eldho the Prophet turned backeand looked on the children whom hee cur- led in the Name of the Lord, 2 King.2.24. And on the contrary, when /faaiwould bielle his fon, he called him mere and killed him, and Cmelling the favour of his garments, hee uttered amore powerfull bleffing, Gen. 27.26,27. and to did la- kob to lofephs children, Gen. 48. 9, 10, &c. And for this caufe Balak led Balsam ( when hee was come) unto high mountains, from whence hee might view them whom hee was to curie, Num. 22.41.8e 23.9,54,28. eurfeme tbis]or,curfe fir me this people. The curie was first laid upon the creatures by God himfeife for finne,Gen.3. and heavie effeEs followed thereof : the earth curfed, brought forth thornes & briers in Bead ofwhol- lome fruits, Gen.3. 57,18. and curled againe for Coins wickednes, it yeelded no more the ttrength thereof, Gen. 4.12. the fig -tree turfed by Chrif, fuddenly withered,_Marke 51. 2 t. And when the curse is duly pronounced by Prophets, and men of God, it wanteth not effe&; as the curie bringing water of jealoufie, which fhould cattle the belly of the polluted to Cwell , and her thigh to rot,Num.5.21,22,27. and the children turfed by Elifha,were rent in pieces of Beares, 2 King.2. 24. Wherefore the plot which Balaklaid , was moll dangerous and wicked, and the moll likely comic to obtain his defire.For thofe whom God bleffeth, their enemies flee , and fall before them, Dent. 28.7. but they whom he curfeth, are expc- fed to all rnifery,and made a prey unto their ene- mies,Deuteron.28,25,33 And if now the King could have obtained from God a curfe upon If- rael, he might Toone have vanquished them, for they that are curfed of him fhall be cut off, Halm. 37. 22. How curies were pronounced by the Pro- phets of God, may be Ceen in Gen.9.2 5. Pfa.1 o9, -6,2o. Jof.6,26. Jer, 17.5,6. day are mightier] Hebr. it is mightier than I; meaning both in num- ber and ftrength , and fo too mighty for him to encounter with. This was upon Ifrael a fruit of Gods blefïng, who had promPTed that Abraham fhould be a mightie nation, Gen.18,18, and perfor- med it , whiles in the land of their affliEtion, he made themmightier than their enemies .P[al.! 05.24. as their enemie himfe'fe acknowledged, Exod. i. 9. And Halals heere confeffing himlelfe unable to match them in might,feeketh therfore to weaken them first by magical execrations. peradventure] or,if fo be; or,as the Greek tranflateth it,ifperhaps; which phrase Peter ufeth in A&.8.22. if perhaps the thought ofthine heart maybe forgiven thee. It is a word that implieth difficulty in a thing,but with good hope to be attained. See the notes on Exo.3a.30. I fball be able to finite them] or, I fhall prevails, and we_ (hallfinite them, and I fhall drive them, &o. The Greek tranflateth, I fhall be able to fmite efthent, and calf them out. In verfe r 5. it is repeated thus,l fball be able to fight againfi them, (or, overcome them in battell) and fo theChaldee explaineth it here, I fbai be able to fight againfl them. Wars were wont to be taken in hand holily; and the Lord ufeth this phrafe, Sans`fiftewarreagainff ber, Jer. 6.4. he commandeth that the camp of Isis people should be hob, and no uncleanneffe in it, Dent. 23.9,10; 54. he appointed Priefts with holy inflrumemr, and filver trumpets, to found an alarme, Numbers 1o. 9. and 31. 6. and they were to fight the bowls ofthe Lord, r Sam. 25.28. and he was with them as their Captaine, as it is laid, And behold, God is with us fir our Captaine, and his Priefls with funding trumpets to cry alarme againff you: 0 children ofIfrael , fight ye not againfl Iehovah the God of your fathers, forye fhall not profper, 2 Chon. t 3.12. Here- upon his people were wont to aske conniell of ' him, and to have his dire &ion in their warres, Judg. 1.1. and 20. 18,27,28. t Chro,t 4. 10,54, I 15, 16. And after viCories, they tiled to pralle the Lord with longs, Jndg.5. Pea. 8. and to ho- nour him with the Ipoiles of the enemies, confe- crated to his houle and fervice, Numb. 31.50. t Chron. 26. 26,27. And this the nations of the world after a fort pra&iCed, Cave that in Bead of i reeking to the Lord according to his word, they fought by divination and unlawfilll arts,as Balak now did by Balsam the Soothsayer ; Nebuchadnez- zar by divination conflating with?eraphims, and looking in the liver and entrailes of beaus, Ezek. 21.21. Agamemnon by facrifice to lupiter, and praying to him for vittorie over the Trojans, Homer, Iliad. 2. and other the like. Moreover,as Blak
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