Ver. 1. The statutes and the judgments.] By “statutes” we may understand the moral law, by “judgments” the judicial, which was fitted to the Jews: Like, as Solon being asked whether he had given the best laws to the Athenians, answered, The best that they could suffer. As for the ceremonial law, it is called “statutes that were not good,” because they commanded neither virtue nor vice in themselves, as one gives the reason. Mr Weems.
Ver. 2. Ye shall not add.] The Jews have added their deuteroseis; the Turks their alfurta; the Papists their unwritten verities, which they equalise, at least, to the Holy Scriptures; and so argue them of insufficiency and imperfection. Οι σοφοι ημων δευτερωσι, Our wise men teach tradition See 1 Corinthians 1:20.
Ver. 3. Destroyed them.] Hanging them up in gibbets, as it were, before your eyes, to warn you.
Ver. 4. Are alive.] Your innocency prevailed for your safety, as it usually doth in a common defection.
Ver. 6. For this is your wisdom.] Omnis sapientia hominis in hoc uno est, saith Lactantius, ut Deum cognoscat et colat: hoc nostrum dogma, hac sententia est: To know and do the will of God, this is the whole of man’s wisdom. “The heart of the wise man is at his right hand,” (Ecclesiastes 10:2) as teaching it to put things in practice, and to “prove by experience what that good, and holy, and acceptable will of God is.” (Romans 12:2) A wise and understanding people.] The Spaniards are said to seem wise and are fools; the French to seem fools and are wise; the Portuguese neither to be wise, nor so much as to seem so; the Italians both to seem wise and to be so. But may not that of the prophet be fitly applied to them all, “Behold, they have rejected the Word of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them?” (Jeremiah 8:9) Lactan., Inst., lib. iii, cap. 30.
Ver. 7. Who hath God so nigh unto them.] Yea, this was it that made them so great a nation, who otherwise were but methe mispar, few in number. This made Moses so passionately cry out, “Happy art thou, O Israel! who is like unto thee, O people, saved by the Lord!” (Deuteronomy 33:29)
Ver. 8. So righteous.] [See Trapp on “De 1:1”]
Ver. 9. Only take heed.] Cavebis autem, si pavebis. Lest thou forget.] Eaten bread is soon forgotten. Teach them thy sons.] A special help against forgetfulness; yea, this is the best art of memory. Of all things God cannot abide to be forgotten.
Ver. 10. Specially the day.] A high favour, and most honourably mentioned. (Nehemiah 9:13)
Ver. 12. Ye saw no similitude.] Numa the Roman lawgiver would not permit any image, whether painted or carved, to be placed in their temples, eo quod nefas duceret praestantiora deterioribus adsimulare, because he held it unlawful to set forth a better thing by a worse, &c. Hence it was that the Roman temples had no pictures in them for a hundred and seventy years after the building of that city. Irenaeus reproves the heretics called Gnostici, for that they carried about the image of Christ, made in Pilate’s time, after his own proportion; for “to whom will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18)
Ver. 14. Statutes and judgments.] [See Trapp on “De 1:1”]
Ver. 15. Take ye therefore good heed.] These many cautions note our proneness to this evil above others. This appeareth somewhat in children so delighted with pictures, and in that idolomania of these Jews, of the eastern churches, and of the synagogue of Rome.
Ver. 16. The likeness of male or female.] As the blind Ethnics did, concluding their petitions with that general, Dii, Deaeque omnes. Servius.
Ver. 17. The likeness of any beast.] Which was a piece of the Egyptian madness. Israel, by being there, had learned to set up one calf, Jeroboam two.
Ver. 18. The likeness of any fish.] As was Dagon, the god of the Philistines, whence he had his name.
Ver. 19. All the host of heaven.] Called the queen of heaven. (Jeremiah 7:18) Should be driven.] Or, Drawn by the enticement of the devil, who is ειδωλοχαρης, saith Synisius, a great imagemonger; or by the seduction of others, or of thine own evil heart; for nemo sibi de suo palpet: quisque sibi Satan est, saith a father. Which the Lord thy God hath divided.] And shall we fight against God, as Jehu did against Jehoram, with his own servants, nay, with those things which he hath given us for common servants to us all?
Ver. 20. But the Lord.] Deliverance commands obedience: Servati sumus ut serviamus,
Ver. 21. And sware that I should not.] So that you have a privilege above me; only beware how you provoke him, as I did, through unbelief.
Ver. 22. But I must die.] This was a sore affiiction to this good man, and is therefore so often mentioned. Cato Major also died three years before the destruction of Carthage, which he had so vehemently urged, and would so gladly have outlived. Plut.
Ver. 24. For the Lord thy God.] And should therefore be served truly, that there be no halting; and totally, that there be no halving. (Hebrews 12:28,29)
Ver. 25. And shalt have remained long.] So that thou thinkest there is no removing thee, thou art so rooted and riveted. Nicephorus Phocas having built a mighty wall, heard from heaven, Though thou built as high as hea ven, ενδον το κακον, ευαλωτος η πολις, Sin is within, all will be lost.
Ver. 28. And there ye shall serve gods.] As ye have made a match with mischief, so ye shall have enough of it. Ephraim is joined to idols, &c. See Acts 7:42.
Ver. 29. But if from thence.] Sweet and sour make the best sauce. Promises and menaces mixed, soonest operate upon the heart. The Sun of Righteousness loves not to set in a cloud; nor the God of consolation to leave his children comfortless.
Ver. 30. Even in the latter days.] This is by some understood of the Messiah’s days, which are the latter times of the world; (Hosea 3:5 1 Corinthians 10:11) and they believe that here is pointed at the great and last conversion of the Jews.
Ver. 32. For ask now of the days.] Historiae suntfidae monitrices; great good use is to be made of history, -this holy history especially, whereof every word is pure, precious, and profitable.
Ver. 37. Therefore he chose.] He chose for his love, and then loved for his choice: after God’s example, deligas quem diligas.
Ver. 39. That the Lord he is God in heaven.] A philosopher could say, that God is a circle, whose centre is everywhere, whose circumference is nowhere; ubi est Deus? quid dixi miser? sed ubi non est? Where is God? or rather, where is not God? He is higher than heaven, lower than hell, broader than the sea, longer than the earth. Nusquam est et ubique est, quia nec abest ulli, nec ullo capitur loco. He is nowhere, and yet everywhere; far from no place, and yet not contained in any place. Empedocles. Bernard.
Ver. 42. That thou mayest prolong thy days.] Hence some Lutherans have gathered that God hath not determined the set period of man’s days, but that it is in men’s power to lengthen or shorten them. But this is against Job 7:1 14:14 Ec 2:3 Isa 38:5,15. Stat sua cuique dies. Our hairs are numbered, much more our days. That the slayer.] [See Trapp on “Nu 35:6”] [See Trapp on “Nu 35:7”] &c. Heming et alii.
Ver. 44. And this is the law.] That is, This that followeth in the next chapter, whereunto these verses serve for a preface.