It had an importance in relation to the northern tribes, somewhat like what Jerusalem had in relation to the southern. Now Beitin]; and the LORD (was) with them [so ver. 19]. (23) And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel [to explore a way of entrance into it, as the people had shut themselves within its fortification]. (Now the name of the city before (was) Luz) [Gen. xxviii. 19. Probably an old Hittite city, see ver. 25; and Numb. xiii. 29]. (24) And the spies [or watchers] saw a man come forth out of the city [by some unobserved passage], and they said unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will show thee mercy [as in the case of Rahab at Jericho (Josh. ii. 12-21, vi. 22-25)]. (25) And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. (26) And the man went into the land of the Hittites [the most widespread and powerful of the Canaanites; proved to have been a great empire, which disputed the supremacy for a time with Assyria and Egypt; a striking confirmation of Scripture: the Chata on the Egyptian monuments (see Josh. i. 4; 1 King x. 29)], and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz, which is the name thereof unto this day. (27) Neither did Manasseh drive out (the inhabitants of) Beth-shean [or Bethshan, 'house of quiet'; allotted to Manasseh though within Isachar. Now Beisan, 14 miles over the Jordan Taanach [sandy

south of the Sea of Galilee, and on a height Valley] and her [dependent] towns, nor soil, south-east of Megiddo], and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor [Dandora or Tantura, near the foot of Carmel, assigned to Manasseh, though within Asher] and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam [belonging to Manasseh, yet in Asher], and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo [el Lejjun] and her towns, but the Canaanites would dwell it that land [nearly all these towns were in the plain of Jezreel or Esdraelon, which runs south-west from the Mediterranean, above Carmel, almost to the Jordan; on the north it is bounded by the hills of Galilee, on the east by Mount Gilboa and Little Hermon; near the great roads from the Mediterranean coast to Damascus and Central Asia. The Canaanites naturally brought all their force to defend these roads, and their war chariots

could act effectively against Israel in the plain (ver But it was Israel's want of resolute faith that di them from overcoming the resolute will of the Canaanite "would dwell in the land" (Josh. xvii. 12). Tannach, Me and Dor were of the thirty-one royal cities enumera Josh. xii., of which list Conder (Palest. Explor. Quart. S remarks, that it 'precedes all the other topographical list forms the key of the whole system']. (28) And it came t when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribu did not utterly drive them out [in disobedience to God's e command (Exod. xxiii. 32, 33, xxxiv. 12, 15). Compr indifference to the honour of God which idolatry i indolence, and love of gain, made Israel content with im tribute, even when strong enough to have extirpated them far was the extermination from being the effect of I blood-thirstiness, that whenever terror of the immediate p ment was withdrawn, they disobeyed God by sparin Canaanites. The law to do so was evidently from G righteous judge, not man; and the Divine aim was to exter idolatry, and its attendant pollutions. Humanity in cases breathes throughout the Mosaic law (Exod. xxiii. 4 11, xxii. 22-24). The putting of the Canaanites to was effected gradually, in the period of the Judges and (1 Kings iv. 12, ix. 20-22)]. (29) Neither did Ephrain out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer [Ganneau discove inscription in Greek and Hebrew at Abou Shushah, plain between Jaffa and Jerusalem, "the boundary of thereby identifying the site with Tel el Djezir. This v eastern limit of suburbs as a Levitical city (Numb. xxxv. similar inscription exists on the south-west. The boundary was a square, having its four angles at th cardinal points. Identical with Gob; compare 1 Chron. with 2 Sam. xxi. 18. An important fortress as lying coast road to Egypt]; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer them. (30) Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabit Kitron [Kattath, Josh. xix. 15], nor the inhabitants of N but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became trib (31) Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of

6

[Ptolemais; now St Jean d'Acre, called from the Knights of St John, 'the key of Palestine'; the chief seaport of Syria, 30 miles south of Tyre. Carmel is on the south side of the river Belus, on which it lies], nor the inhabitants of Zidon [called 'great,' as the metropolis of the Phoenicians (Josh. xi. 8). Now Saida, i.e., fishing town,' 20 miles north of Tyre, which is called her 'daughter' (Isa. xxiii. 12). Tyre is not mentioned in the Pentateuch, but first in Josh. xix. 29; but Zidon, as early as Gen. x. 15. Not till David's time is Tyre represented as the chief Phoenician city. A coincidence with secular history confirming the truth of Scripture, for Homer mentions Zidon, but not Tyre; and old Egyptian inscriptions give Zidon the first place], nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib [10 miles north of Accho, on the Mediterranean: now Ez-zib], nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik [near Zidon, Josh. xix. 30], nor of Rehob. (32) But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land [seven out of the twenty-two towns of Asher, including the great towns Zidon and Accho, remained in the Canaanites' possession; therefore, it is said, not as in ver. 30, "the Canaanites dwelt among" the Asherites, but vice versa, implying that the Canaanites had the upper hand; for it is said that they "became tributaries"]; for they did not drive them out. (33) Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh [i.e., house of the sun], nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath [Josh. xix. 38]; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them. (34) And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain; for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley [Josh. xix. 40-48. The allotment to Dan was almost all in the plain. Being forced out of it, they were shut out of most of their inheritance]. (35) But the Amorites would dwell in Mount Heres, [the sun answering to Ir-shemesh, city of the sun (Josh. xix. 41). Now Ain Shems. called Beth-shemesh, in Josh. xv. 10] in Aijalon [or Ajalon, 'the place of gazelles.' Now Yalo, north of the Jaffa road, on the hillside bounding the valley Merj-ibn-Omeir; alluded to in Joshua's apostrophe to the sun (x. 12)], and in Shaalbim [place of foxes or jackals], yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed,

so that they became tributaries. (36) And the coast of Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim [Maaleh-Acra (Josh. xv. 3); "the ascent to Akrabbim" (Numb. xxxiv. 4) The Scorpion pass; the same Hebrew in all three pass The cliffs intersecting the Ghor below the Dead Sea, abour in scorpions; the southern boundary of the Holy Land], from rock [Ha-Selah, not as in 2 Kings xiv. 7, Petra; as the o is to explain how the Amorites were, by their position, al force the Danites out of their inheritance. To refer to I south-east of the Scorpion pass, and so considerably sou the Holy Land, would not be in point. The rock' he that in the south-west corner of Palestine, in the desert of on the southern edge of the Rakhma plateau; its notoriety due to the events which took place at the waters of (Numb. xx. 8, 10). As the Amorites extended to the Sco heights on the south-east boundary of the Holy Land, so to rock' on the south-west boundary (Numb. xiv. 24, 44, 45); i. 44)], and upward [i.e., northward].

CHAPTER II.

(1) And an angel of the LORD [Translate, Then THE angel of JEHOVAH': the Second Divine Person: for THE ANGEL identifies himself with JEHOVAH in His words and deeds, as no prophet does. Hag. i. 13; Mal. ii. 7, iii. 1, are no objection; for 'messenger,' Maleach, is shown by the context to be appellative in meaning. Sixty times the phrase expresses the angel of God's presence (Gen. xvi. 7, xxii. 11; Exod. xiv. 19, xxiii, 20, 21; Numb. xxii. 22; Judg. vi. 11, 12, 21, 22; Isa. lxiii. 9)], came up from Gilgal to Bochim [not so much a geographical, as a spiritual intimation. As the Angel Prince of Jehovah's host at Gilgal assured Israel of the fall of Jericho, directly after their rolling away the reproach of Egypt by their circumcision, whence the place was named Gilgal, which means 'rolling'-so here at Bochim, which means Weepers, and is geographically unknown, He declares that, by their having broken the covenant in making leagues with the Canaanites, and not throwing down their altars, they incur the penalties of its violation, to be inflicted by those very Canaanites. So 'from Shittim to Gilgal' is not geographical, but reminding Israel of God's favours at those places (Mic. vi. 5)], and said, I made you go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you [Gen. xvii. 7; Ps. lxxxix. 34]. (2) And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land [Exod. xxiii. 32, xxxiv. 12; Deut. vii. 2]; but ye have not obeyed my voice [so by breaking their covenant with Him, they forfeited His covenant with them, referring to Exod. xix. 4-8], why have ye done this? (3)