The Law of

(14) When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; (15) thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. (16) But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses:

Verses 14-20. THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM. (14) When thou art come unto the land.These are not the words of a legislator who is already in the land. Those who say that this law dates from later times must be prepared to assert that this clause is expressly framed to suit the lips of Moses, and is thus far a deliberate forgery.

And shalt possess it, and dwell thereini.e., shalt complete the conquest and settle. It is not contemplated that the king would be desired immediately after the conquest.

I will set a king over me, like as all the nations.-There is an evident allusion to this phrase in 1 Sam. viii. 20, "That we also may be like all the nations." It is noticeable that Moses in this place says nothing in disapproval of the design. In fact his words might easily have been cited by the people in support of their proposal. Moses said we should need a king; why should we not ask for one? Looked at this way, the citation of the words of Deuteronomy in Samuel is perfectly natural. The people confirm their request by presenting it in the very words of Moses. But if we suppose (with some modern writers) that the in passage Deuteronomy was constructed from that in Samuel, there are several difficulties-(1) Why is there no disapproval here of the plan, which Samuel so strongly disapproved? (2) How does the writer in Deuteronomy contrive to be so wholly unconscious either of the royal tribe, or of the royal family? Precisely the same unconsciousness of the locality of the place which Jehovah should choose in Palestine appears in every reference to it in this book. In Moses this is perfectly natural. But that any later writer should be so totally regardless of the claims of Judah, David, and Jerusalem, and nothing either for or against them, is inconceivable. Samuel could hardly have written about the king without betraying disapproval of Israel's desire for him. No later writer could have avoided some allusion to the choice of David's family, and the promises to David's son.

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(15) Whom the Lord thy God shall choose.. from among thy brethren.-This precept seems almost needless from the standpoint of later history. As years passed by, the Israelites were less and less tempted to accept the supremacy of foreign princes.* But Moses can never have forgotten that for two-thirds of his own lifetime the Israelites had been subject to the kings of Egypt; and that even since the exodus

But see note on chap. xxxi. 11 for an incident that illistrates the feeling,

the Kingdom.

forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. (17) Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (18) And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: (19) and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes,

they had proposed to make a captain to return thither; whom we know not, but very possibly an Egyptian. The chief thing dreaded by Moses was a return to Egypt, as appears by the next verse.

(16, 17) He shall not multiply horses wives

. . neither shall he greatly multiply silver and gold.-It is not a little remarkable that these are the very things which Solomon did multiply; and that under him the monarchy attained its greatest glory. But the prophecy avenged itself by its literal fulfilment: "When Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart" (1 Kings xi. 4). Yet it is easier to read the words as prophecy than as later history. What Israelite could have written this sentence after the time of Solomon without some passing allusion to the glories of his reign? Compare the recorded allusion in Neh. xiii. 26: "Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin."

The question, how Solomon came to transgress these orders, may easily be met by another-How came David to attempt the removal of the ark of God in a cart? The wealth which Solomon had is represented as the special gift of Jehovah. His many marriages may be partly accounted for by the fact that only one son is mentioned, and he was born before his father became king. The question, “ Who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?" is singularly applicable to this individual. And one of the Psalms, which is by its title ascribed to Solomon, pursues a similar line of thought (Ps. exxvii). The caution against multiplying horses marks the profound wisdom of the writer. The Israelitish infantry was Israel's strength. The conquest of Canaan was entirely effected by infantry. There are not many battle-fields in Canaan suited for chariots and cavalry. An army of infantry can choose its own ground.

(18) He shall write him a copy of this law.— This phrase is the source of the Greek title of the book, Deuteronomion, or in English, Deuteronomy. The word appears also in Josh. viii. 32. The English conveys the right sense of the word, which primarily denotes repetition. In Hebrew it is Mishneh, the name afterwards given to the "text" of the Talmud, of which the idea is to repeat the law; though it is a somewhat peculiar repetition, in which minutiae are chiefly dealt with, and weightier matters left out.

There are traces of this direction (1) in the coronaon of Joash (2 Chron. xxiii. 11, "they gave him the

The Portions of the Priests,

and of the Levites.

and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the (4) The firstfruit also of thy corn,

maw.

of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. (5) For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever. (6) And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose; (7) then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his

(3) And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep;

testimony; "(2) in the reign of Jehoshaphat, who had the Book of the Law taught to his people (2 Chron. xvii. 9); and (3) in the delivery of the book when discovered in the Temple to Josiah (2 Chron. xxxiv. 18), and in the effect of the perusal of it upon that king. But it is singular that we do not hear of the Book of the Law in connection with David and Solomon. Possibly, as David was a prophet himself, and not only a king, it may be thought unnecessary to make special mention of his study of the law. In many things he acted upon the direct commands of God to himself or to his seers.

We must not forget that the true king of Israel is He whose special mission it was "to fulfil the law and the prophets." "Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."

(20) To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children.-Shows that the kingdom in Israel would be hereditary only so far as Jehovah willed it to be so. Again we may say that the striking fact that no dynasty except that of David ever continued for more than five generations, and only two dynasties for more than two generations, while David's dynasty was perpetual by promise, could hardly have escaped notice, if known to the writer of this book.

XVIII.

Verses 1-5. THE PRIESTS' DUE.

(1) The priests the Levites, (and) all the tribe of Levi.-The fact that there is no "and" here in the original, and the look of the sentence in English, might dispose a superficial reader to find some ground here for the theory that priest and Levite are not distinguished in Deuteronomy. No such idea occurred to Rashi. He says, "all the tribe of Levi, not only those that are perfect (who can serve), but those who have a blemish (and cannot)." The distinction between priest and Levite has already been sufficiently noted on chap. xi. 6, and xvii. 9. The passage is evidently on the same lines with Num. xviii. 18-21, which see.

(3) The shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. This would be from the peace offering.

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which stand there before the LORD. (8) They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.

The shoulder is assigned to them in Lev. vii. 32, 33 (comp. Num. xviii. 18). The "two cheeks and the maw are not mentioned elsewhere, and the latter word is found in this place only. They are not a valuable part of the sacrifice. An absurd reason for the gift is assigned by Rashi. We know that in the time of Eli, the priests varied their requirements at pleasure, and in the face of the law (see 1 Sam. ii. 13). The "priests' due " here, and "the priests' custom" there, are the same word in Hebrew, which we have elsewhere translated "requirement."

(4) The firstfruit also of thy corn.-See Num. xviii. 12. The first of the wool is mentioned here only. The quantity in all these cases has been defined by the Rabbis, on grounds somewhat arbitrary.

(5) To stand to minister in the name of the Lord. This is the office of the priests. The Levites are said, "to stand before the congregation to minister unto them" (Num. xvi. 9). If the writer of Deuteronomy knew no distinction between priest and Levite, it is difficult to see how the Jews could have derived the distinctive privileges of the priests from these enactments. (6-8) And if a Levite come.-The Levites with the priests were to receive forty-eight cities in Israel, with the suburbs (Num. xxxv. 7). There was as yet no provision made by which all could serve in turn at the tabernacle. When David divided them all into courses, priests, Levites, singers (and porters ?) alike, there was no longer any need for this provision. The institutions of David prove its antiquity. The only case in history that illustrates it is that of the child Samuel. His father, Elkanah, was a descendant of Korah. dwelt in Mount Ephraim, and came up to Shiloh year by year. But Samuel was dedicated by his mother to perpetual service there, and as long as the tabernacle continued in Shiloh, the child Samuel "ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest"-not as a priest, but as a Levite in attendance upon the priests.

He

(8) They shall have like portions to eat, beside that. The Levite thus dedicated was to have the same allowance from tithes as the rest who served at the tabernacle, beside the proceeds of the patrimony which he would have had in his own Levitical city.

False Prophets.

will not hearken unto words which my he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Cities of Refuge.

land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

(4) And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; (5) as when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood,

(22) When a

LORD hath not spoken? prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

a

day.

ax to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the 'helve, and 5 lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: (6) lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not 7 in time past.

we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth." (Heb. xii. 22, 56.)

(20) That prophet shall die.-Rashi illustrates this by the case of Hananiah (Jer. xxviii.) who prophesied that Jeconiah, and all that went with him to Babylon, should return within two years. He was sentenced by Jeremiah to die that year; and he died accordingly, within two months.

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(22) If the thing follow not, nor come to pass.-This is one form cf our Lord's test for all prophets, By their fruits (i.e., the 'results,' of their teaching, not its first impressions) ye shall know them." XIX.

Here a fresh section of the laws begins. See Introduction for a full analysis.

Verses 1-13. THE CITIES OF REFUGE. (See for more on this subject, Num. xxxv. 9, &c.; Josh. xx.)

(1) When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations. We find that the three cities of refuge on the west of Jordan were appointed by Joshua after the conquest (Josh. xx.). The first three on the east of Jordan, namely, Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead, and Golan, had already been selected by Moses (Deut. iv. 41, &c), but Joshua assigned them to their Levitical possessors.

(3) Thou shalt prepare thee a way.-Upon this phrase Rashi remarks (from the Talmud) that "Miklot! Miklot (Refuge! Refuge!') was written up at the parting of the ways."

(7) Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. (8) And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy

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which he promised to give unto thy fathers; (9) if thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I

(5) As when a man goeth into the wood.An obvious instance.

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(6) The avenger of the blood.-Literally, the redeemer of the blood. The Hebrew, goël, stands for all the three words, "redeemer," 39 66 avenger,' kinsman." (8,9) If the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast thou shalt add three cities-i.e., thou shalt add three to the six, making nine in all. There is no trace of this ever having been done in the history of Israel. The comments of Jewish writers show that nothing is known of the fact in their literature. Some of them point out that only seven nations were assigned to the host of Joshua, and that the land occupied by these seven could not have needed more than the six cities.

They lay stress upon the words “ If He give thee all the land which He promised to give thy fathers" (not merely the seven nations promised to thee). They refer to the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites in particular, as three nations promised to Abraham. It would have been more to the purpose if they had referred to the Hittites. The cities of this people, as recently discovered, from Kedesh on the Orontes to Carchemish, lie to the north of the known territory of Israel. If "all the land of the Hittites" (Josh i. 4) had been conquered, the three additional cities might have been required. But though this land seems to have been tributary to Solomon, it was not so occupied by Israel as to necessitate the appointment of three additional cities of refuge. And Solomon's empire lasted only for his own reign. But without going back to these details, they also take the promise as prophetical; holding that when the Lord has "circumcised their heart" (Deut. xxx. 6), " to love the Lord," and given them "one heart and one way to fear

in the Cities of Refuge.

mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. (16) If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; (17) then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; (18) and the judges shall make diligent inquisition and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; (19) then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. (20) And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth

you. (21) And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

CHAPTER XX.-(1) When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, Lev which brought thee up out of the land

Him for ever, and shall make an everlasting covenant with them, and put His fear in their hearts (Jer. xxxii. 39, 40) that they shall not depart from Him," then the promises will be fulfilled. All the land will be given to them, and they will need these other cities. One writer adds, "Blessed is he that waiteth, and shall attain to it," from Dan. xii. 12. Thus the Jews take the passage as prophetic of their ultimate restoration. Evidently it is no addition of later times, but the genuine language of Moses. What later writer would have thought of adding it?

(10) That innocent blood be not shed-i.e., the blood of the manslayer who can find no refuge, and yet is no murderer.

(11) But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him.-Rashi's comment upon this is in the spirit of St. John: "By way of hatred he comes to lying in wait: and hence it has been said, when a man has transgressed a light commandment, that he will end by transgressing a greater. Therefore when he has broken the commandment, Thou shalt not hate, he will end by coming to bloodshed." What is this but "He that hateth his brother is a murderer" ?

(12) Deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood.-There is as yet no idea of a public trial and execution, which belongs to a more advanced stage of civilisation than this.

(13) Shalt put away.-Literally, consume, or, as it were, burn out.

(14) Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark.-Another law manifestly appropriate here, where it appears for the first time, like the "field" in the tenth commandment (chap. v. 21). But the immediate connection is not obvious. Perhaps the idea is to

caution the people to avoid a most certain incentive to hatred and murder. Aucient landmarks are also important and almost sacred witnesses.

They of old time.-The first dividers of the land. There is no idea of antiquity about the expression.

Verses 15-21. FALSE TESTIMONY.

The law of retaliation is sternly laid down here; but it must be administered by the judges, not by men acting on their own behalf.

(17) Both the men . . . shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges.-This appears to mean that all cases of suspected false testimony were to go before the supreme court (see chap. xvii. 9); that the matter was not to be lightly decided. (21) Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.-This is to be effected by the award of the judges, not as a matter of private revenge. But manifestly it rests with the injured party to press the case.

XX.

LAWS OF WARFARE.

(1) When thou goest out to battle-i.e., generally; not only in the immediate conquest of Canaan. Yet it may be observed that in the writings of Moses it is foreseen that the completion of the conquest will be gradual, and that Israel will have to go to battle many times before all enemies are overcome.

Horses and chariots.-The Israelitish army was chiefly, or rather entirely, composed of infantry, in most of the great victories won by them.