Matthew Poole and continuators on Deuteronomy 27

2 And it shall be on that day when ye shall pass over Jordan, unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister .

(i. e.) About that time, for it was not done till some days after their passing over. Day is oft put for time, as hath been noted before.

For conveniency of writing upon them.

Marginal references: Josh. 4. 1.; Josh. 8. 32.

3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law , when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and hony, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

Either 1. all the words of this book of Deuteronomy. But that seems too large for this place. Or 2. the blessings and curses here following. But they are mentioned as a different thing. Or 3. the law properly so called, i. e. the sum and substance of the precepts or laws of Moses, especially such as were moral and general, as may be guessed from the following part of the chapter, where the curses pronounced against all that confirm not all the words of this law to do them are particularly applied unto the transgressours of moral laws onely, ver. 15, 16, &c. And especially the Decalogue, which oft goes under that name. Compare Ios. 8. 32. &c.

4 Therefore it shall be when ye are gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these▪ stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal , and thou shalt plaister them with plaister.

The mount of cursing. Here the law is written, to signify that a curse was due to the violatours of it, and that no man could expect justification or blessing from the works of the law, by the sentence whereof all men are justly accursed, as being all guilty of the transgression of it in one kind and degree or other. Here the sacrifices are to be offered to shew that there is no way to be delivered from this curse, but by the blood of Christ, which all these sacrifices did typifie, and by Christs being made a curse for us, Gal. 3. 13.

6 Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of whole stones : and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God.

(i. e) Rough, not hewed nor polished.

8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly .

So as to be easily read by all.

9 And Moses, and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel, this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God.

By thy solemn renewing of thy covenant with me.

12 These shall stand upon mount Gerizzim , to [illegible: 1+ letters]less the people , when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin .

Obj. In Ios. 8. 33. they stood over against mount Gerizim. Ans. 1. Both are true: they who stood upon the one mount stood over against the other. 2. These words may be rendered, beside or near to (as the Hebrew al oft signifies) mount Gerizim, which might be over against it.

Whence it appears that the blessings also were pronounced as well as the curses though they be not here mentioned. See Ios. 8. 33.

All these were the children of the free-women, Leah and Rachel, to shew both the dignity of the blessings above the curses, and that the blessings belong onely to those that are Evangelically such, as this is expounded and applied, Gal. 4. 22, &c. even to those that receive the Spirit of adoption and liberty. Ioseph is here put for both his sons and tribes Manasseh and Ephraim, which are here reckoned as one tribe, because Levi is here numbred, but when Levi is omitted, as it is where the division of the land is made, there Manasseh and Ephraim pass for two tribes.

13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse ; Reuben, Gad and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali :

He saith to bless the people, ver. 12. but here onely to curse, not expressing whom, either because he was loath to mention the people as objects of the curse; or because he presumed and hoped that though some particular persons might deserve the curse, yet the generality of the people would keep out of the reach of it: or to intimate, that though the blessing was peculiar to the people of Israel, yet the curse was indefinite and common to all nations, as may appear from the particular sins here numbred which are such as made the Gentiles guilty and abominable to God, as is elsewhere affirmed. See Lev. 18. 28.

Four of these are the children of the bondwomen, to shew that the curse belongs to those of servile and disingenuous spirits and carriages to God. With these are joyned Reuben, who by his shameful sin fell from his dignity, Gen. 49. 4. and Zabulon, as the youngest of Leahs children, who was necessarily to be joyned with those, that the numbers might be equal.

Marginal references: chap. 11. [illegible: 1+ letters].; Heb. [illegible: 1+ letters]r [illegible: 1+ letters] cursing.

14 And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice :

(i. e.) Some of the Levites, to wit, the Priests, which bare the Ark, as it is expressed Ios. 8. 33. for the body of the Levites stood upon mount Gerizim, v. 12. But these stood in the valley between Gerizim and Ebal, looking towards the one or the other mountain as they pronounced either the blessings or the curses, as may be gathered from Ios. 8. 33.

So as they might be heard by a great number of the people, by whom the rest were informed and directed by some signal when they should answer.

Marginal references: Dan. 9. 11.

15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image , an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsmen, and putteth it in a secret place : and all the people shall answer and say, Amen .

Under this particular he understands all the gross violations of the first Table, as under the following branches he comprehends all other sins against the second Table, as is manifest from hence, that there are other sins not here mentioned which are as sinful as these and will as certainly expose a man to the curse, as any of the rest.

Or, although, as that particle sometimes signifies.

He takes special notice of such partly to shew the folly of those men who think to hide their sins by this means; and partly to deter men from such practises which men could not see nor punish, by making them their own condemners and executioners.

(i. e.) So let it be: I wish this curse may befal me if I be guilty of this crime. See Numb. 5. 22. Ier. 11. 5.

Marginal references: Exod. 20. [illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ 23. and 34. 1[illegible: 1+ letters] ▪ Lev. 19. 4.; 1 Cor. 14. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].

16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother: and all the people shall say, Amen.

Or, despiseth in his heart: or reproacheth or curseth, to wit, secretly, as before: for if, the fact was notorious it was punished with death, Levit. 20. 9.

Marginal references: Exod. 20. 12. & 21. 1[illegible: 1+ letters].

17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbours land-mark : and all the people shall say, Amen.

To wit, designedly, to defraud his neighbour, or enlarge his own portion.

Marginal references: chap. 19. 14.

18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way : and all the people shall say, Amen.

That misleadeth simple souls giving them pernicious counsel either for this life or for the next.

Marginal references: Lev. 19. 14.

20 Cursed be he that lieth with his fathers wife, because he uncovereth his fathers skirt : and all the people shall say, Amen.

See Deut. 22. 20.

Marginal references: Lev. 18. 8.

24 Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly: and all the people shall say, Amen.

(i. e.) Killeth, as that word is oft used.

Marginal references: Exod. 20. 13. and 21. 12, 14. Lev. 24. 17. Numb. 35. 31.

26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them: and all the people shall say, Amen.

(i. e.) Performeth not: for he that transgresseth doth in some sort destroy and make void the law of God, as to the main end for which it was given, even to the regulation of his life and actions, and as far as lies in him disanuls the authority and force of Gods law.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1+ letters]er. 11. 3. Gal. 3. 10.