Matthew Poole and continuators on Deuteronomy 11

2 And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children, which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched-out arm:

(i. e.) Acknowledge and consider it with diligence and thankfulness.

4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red-sea to overflow them, as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day .

The effect of which destruction continueth to this day, in their weakness and fear, and our safety from all their further attempts against us.

Marginal references: Exod. 14. 27.

6 And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their housholds, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession , in the midst of all Israel:

Heb. At their feet, i. e. under their power, Psal. 8. 6. which followed them or belonged to them.

Marginal references: Num. 16. 31. and 27. 3. Psal. 106. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].; Or, living substance which followed them.; Heb. was at their feet.

7 But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD , which he did.

All of them had seen some, and some of them had seen all, the great things done in Egypt and at the Red-sea, and in the Wilderness.

10 For the land whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye come out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and water [illegible: 1+ letters] it with thy foot as a garden of herbs:

(i. e) With great pains and labour of thy feet, partly by going up and down to fetch water and disperse it, and partly by digging furrows with thy foot, and using engines for distributing the water which engines they thrust with their feet. For though the River Nilus did once in a year overflow the grounds and made them fruitful, yet oft times it failed or s[illegible: 1+ letters]anted them, and then they were put to great pains about their ground; and when it did overflow sufficiently and left its Mud upon the earth, yet that Mud was in a little time hardned, and needed another watering and much digging and labour both of the hand and feet, especially in places something higher or more remote from that river. Which inconvenience Canaan was free from.

11 But the land whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and vallies , and drinketh water of the rain of heaven :

And therefore much more healthful than Egypt was, which [illegible: 1 word] it was inriched, so it was annoyed, with Nilus, which overflowed the land in summer time, and thereby made the country both unpleasant, and, which is much worse, unhealthful. And health being the greatest of all outward blessings, Canaan must therefore needs be a more desirable habitation than Egypt, which is the thing here implyed.

Which is more honourable, because this comes not from mans art or industry; but immediately from Gods power and goodness; more easie, being given thee without thy charge or pains; more sweet and pleasant, not hindering thy going abroad upon thy occasions, as the overflow of Nilus did, whereby the Egyptians were confined in a great measure to their several houses; more safe and healthful, being free from that Mud which attends upon the waters of Nilus; and more certain too, the former and the latter rain being promised and to be given to them in their several seasons, upon condition of their obedience, which condition, though it may seem a clog and inconvenience, yet indeed was a great benefit, that by their own necessities and worldly interest they should be obliged to that obedience, upon which their happiness depended both for this life and for the next.

12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for : the eyes of the LORD thy God are alwayes upon it from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year .

To wit, in a special manner, watering it immediately as it were by his own hand without mans help, and giving peculiar blessings to it, which Egypt enjoys not.

To give it the ra[illegible: 1+ letters] and other blessings proper to the several seasons. But all these mercies and the fruitfulness of the land consequent upon them were suspended upon their disobedience as it here follows. And therefore it is not at all strange that some later writers de[illegible: 1+ letters]ry the land of Canaan as in great part a barren soyl, which is so far from affording any ground to question the divine authority of the holy Scriptures in which its fruitfulness is declared, that it doth much more confirm it, this being but an effect of that threatning that God would turn a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of those that dwell in it, Psal. 107. 34. and elsewhere▪ and the wickedness of the Israelites in succeeding ages being notorious, it is but just and fit that the barrenness of their land should be as evident and infamous.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] ▪; 1 King. [illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ [illegible: 1+ letters] ▪

14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain, and the latter rain , that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

(i. e.) Which is needful and sufficient for your land; or which is proper to your land, not common to Egypt, where, as all authors agree, there is little or no rain.

The first fell in seed time to make the corn spring, the other a little before harvest to ripen it. See Ier. 5. 24. Ioel 2. 23. Amos 4. 7. Iam. 5. 7.

16 Take heed to your selves, that your heart be not deceived , and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them:

By the specious pretences of Idolaters, who will plead the general consent of all nations except yours in the worship of creatures, and that they worship the creatures onely for Gods sake and as they are glorious works of God, whom they worship in and by them. Which and the like arguments being commonly alledged by Heathens for their Idolatries, as their own writers declare, might possibly seduce an unwary [illegible: 1 word]: and therefore they are here cautioned against such deceit, and withall it is implyed, that if a mans mind be corrupted and deceived, so as he believes Idolatry to be lawful, th[illegible: 1+ letters] will not excuse him in the sight of God.

17 And then the LORDS wrath be kindled against you, and he s[illegible: 1+ letters]ut up the heaven , that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit, and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.

Which is compared sometimes to a bo[illegible: 1+ letters]tle, Ioh [illegible: 1+ letters]8. [illegible: 1 word]. which may be either [illegible: 1 word] or opened▪ sometimes to a great store-house wherein God [illegible: 1 word] up hi[illegible: 1+ letters] [illegible: 1 word] of rain▪ I[illegible: 1+ letters] 48. 22. [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1+ letters]. the [illegible: 1 word] whereof God is said to [illegible: 1 word] ▪ when he giv[illegible: 1+ letters] rain, and to [illegible: 1 word] ▪ when he with-hold it. See 1 King. 8. 35. 2 [illegible: 1 word]. 6. 26. and 7. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].

21 That you dayes may be multiplied, and the dayes of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the dayes of heaven upon the earth .

(i. e.) As long as this visible world lasts, whilest the heaven keeps its place and continue▪ its influences upon earth, untill all these things be dissolved. Compare Psal. 72. 5. and 81. 5. and 89. 29. Ier. 33. 25.

24 Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread , shall be yours : from the wilderness , and Lebanon , from the river, the river Euphrates , even unto the uttermost sea , shall your coast be.

Not absolutely, as if the Iewes should be Lords of all the world, as the Rabbi[illegible: 1+ letters] fondly conceit, but in the promised land▪ as it is restrained in the following words.

Either by possession, or by dominion, to wit▪ upon condition of your obedience.

To wit, of Sin, on the south-side.

And from Lebanon: or, and to Lebanon, which was the Northern border.

On the east. So far their right of dominion extended, but that their sins cut them short: and so far Solom[illegible: 1+ letters] extended his dominion.

The western or midland sea: Heb. the [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word]: for the Eastern part of the World being generally esteemed the foremost, and the southern on the right hand, Psal. 89. 12. and consequently the Northern on the left hand, the Western part must needs be behind. Of these bounds of the land see Gen. 10. 19. and 15. 18. Exod. 23. 31. Ios. 1. 3, 4.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] 1. 3.; [illegible: 1 word]. 34. 3.

26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:

I propose them to your minds and to your choice.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. 30. 15.

28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which ye have not known .

Which you have no acquaintance with nor experience of their power or w[illegible: 1+ letters]ome or goodness, as you have had of mine.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1 word]. 15.

29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

Heb. [illegible: 1 word] gi[illegible: 1+ letters], i. e. speak or pronounce or cause to be pronounced. So the word [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] i[illegible: 1+ letters] u[illegible: 1+ letters]d [illegible: 1 word] 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ [illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1 word] 3[illegible: 1+ letters]. 3 Pr[illegible: 1+ letters]v. [illegible: 1+ letters]. 9. This is more [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] D[illegible: 1+ letters]t. 27. 12, 13, and [illegible: 1 word]. 8. 33. whither I refer the reader.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 word] 2[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ 12, [illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ [illegible: 1 word]. 8. 33.