NUMBL'RSXXIII. it war, and the fpirit returned, to God that gave it, as one body. The King gathered from Balaams words, in verf 9. that by feeing the whole mul- titude, he was difmayed; (fo looking to the fe- condary caufe,not to God the principall:)where- fore though he failed of his purpofe at the firft he fecondeth it in another place, with hope to pre- vail;; as the Syrians being foiled by Bract in the mountaines,wouldfight againf them in the plaine,ho- ping thete to be f}ronger than they, i King.zo.20. - -- 23. And when he could not have the whole peo- plecurfed,hebringeth Bataan to fee a part of them: as when the Dragon could not hurt the Woman(the Church) that efcaped his perlecutiou with her Eagles wings; he being wroth, seen to make war with the remnant of her feed,Rev. t a .13.-17. and as Amalek , who fmote the bindmefl of Ifrael, even all that were feeble bebinde them, Deut.2 5.17,18 Vert t 4. field ofZopbim]that is by interpretati- on, of the Spieo(or Scout - watches:) and the Greeke interpreteth it the Scout -watch of the field: it fee - meth to be a place where they kept the watch of the countrey against enemies ; as Sol. Iárchi here faith , It was an high place where the Spie flood to watch whether any forces came againfl the eyrie. of Pefgab] or, of the hill which the Chaldee ex- poundeth of the high place. Such hits and high places idolaters stied to facrifice upon,,Dent.12.2. And Balak thought them Jackie to atchieve his purpofes, but all in vaine;as it is writteu,Truly in vaine is falvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude ofmountaines : truly in Jehovah our God is thefplvation of Ifrael, ler.3.23. fever altars] fo profecating their wickedneffe flip, under colour of religion:fee the notes ou verf. t .a. Vert 15. /mill meetyander] to wit, with Ieho- , is vah; and fo the Greekeexplaineth it, Iwid got to , enquire of God. See before in verf. 3, 4. &c. Vert. 18. Rife up Balak] to heave the word of ig God with reverence; for at it even Kings were wont to rife up,when it was fpoken:as afterward Eglon King of Moab alto did, in ludg.3.20. hearken unto me] that is, as the Chaldee explaineth it, unto my word. Vert. 19. God is not a man, &c.] The Chaldee 19 paraphrafeth thus, The word of God is not like the fßeeebe.e ofthe fonnes of man ; for the forts of man doe fay & lye.By lying is meant failing in the performance of that which is fpoken , as in Habak,2.3. Pfalm. 89.3 5,36.2 King. 4.16 that he fbould repent] The like testimony Samuel beareth of God be- fore King Saul , The firength of Ifrael will not lie nor repent;foor be if not a man tbathe Amid re em,i Sam.ts. 25. Though the Scripture fpeakethfometimeof God , that he repenteth , as is Amos 7. ;. 6. ler. 18.8. yet that is fpoken of him ,according to our capacitie,becaufehis worke is ;hanged, when lie himfelfe continueth unchangeable , forwith him is no variableneffe ,neither fbadow of turning, lam. 1. 57. See the notes on Gen. 6.6. In this fpeech of Balaam there is a reproof; of Balaks error, who thought by his endeuours to turne Gods affe- 5lion from Ifrael, and therefore rested not in the word before revealed, but ftrugled againft it frill, as if God were falfe or variable. fhallhe not con- firme Eecle f.12. 7. So Samfou Paid , Let my fink die with the Phihffines , Iudg.16. 30- the death of the righteous men]the Greeke trantlateth,with the fouler oftbe jufl men; meaning the righteous ofIfrael,as the Chaldee explaineth it the death of the jafr men thereof that is,of that people. Balaam, who lived the life of the wicked, defireth (as many doe) to die the death of the righteous: but as he lived, fo he died among the enemies of God, by the fword of Ifrael, Numb.3 [.8. Howbeit he pronounceth here a greater blelling upon Ifrael, as they that were happie not only in life, but in death. For, rightenufneffè(which is by faith in Ghrift,Phil.3.9.) delivereth fromdeath ;but when a wickedman dieth , his expeiationperifhetb,Prov.1 1.4.7 Here alto Balaam tettifieth of the foules immortality, and different care of good & bad : for otherwifewhat were the death of the righteous better than of the wicked? let my laid end]or,1et my pafleriiy.The originali word fòmetinse fignifieth the end, oppofed to the beginning,as in Deat.11.12. Prov.19.20. and fo the Chaldee tranflatech it here, let my end be like theirs: fometime it is she poferitie , or children which come after;as in Dams r.4.Amo.r 5.2.Pfal. t 09. /3. and in this fenfe the Greeke Interpreters under - ftood it here , laying , and let my feed be lie their feed::thus Balaam prophefeth a bleffing allo to the feed of every righteous Ifraelite,according to the promifc made unto Abraham and his feed after him,Gen. i 7.7.And further,this word,end,isoften ufed for reward, which is after labours, Prov. 23. 18. and 24.20. 1 Pet. 1. 9. which allo may be implied here,ofa bleffed reward which the righ- teous have after this life in heaven,Mat.5.1 y:But Balaam being a minifter of Satan, though trans- formed as a minifter of righteoufnelfe, his end was according to his workes, as the Apoftle tel- lethusof all fsch,2Cor.11.t5. II Verf. is. I tooke, thee to cur fè mine enemies] Balak who had beforebuilded altars,and offered Cacri- fices , as to ferve the Lord with great devotion, being now croffed in his purpofc,manifefteth his jhypocrifie, pride, malice, and notorious pro- phanation of religious exercifes;in that he regar- ded not , nor retied in theanfwer of God by Ba- loam, but oppofed his owne will, as that which the Prophet should have fulhlled;unjuftly calleth the Ifraelites his enemies, who Paired by him in pcace;repineth against their blefhng,andblameth the Prophet for pronouncing it. 12 Verf. 12. Muff Inca take heed to fpeake] or, Shall hoot obferve to fpeake. Though Balaams will was bent to curie Ifrael for Balaks wages,yet could he not,becaufe God restrained him : wherefore hee bare his blame at the Kings hand.And now to ex- cure himfelfe,he fignifieth not onely the neceffitie laid upon hint by the Lord, but a pretended tare and obfervance in himfelfe to fpeake his word only : thus the hypocrites mocked one with an- other5and bee that fitteth in the heavens,laughed; the Lord had them both in derifion,Pfal.2.4. 3 Verf. s 3. fee but the utmoff part of them] or,but a part ofhim, & shalt not fee him all:fpeaking of Ifrael,
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