volume 4

12 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
the same duration. The people came out of Egypt, and entered into the wilder
ness in the first month of the year. At the end of the fortieth year from their
coming out of Egypt, the eleventh month of it, is issued the history
of three of
the books of Moses, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. In the last month of that
year Moses reviewed and repeated the whole law, the dealings of God, and sins of
the people, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. About the end of that
month, as is probable, he died, and was lamented thirty days, or all the first
month of the forty-first year. After which, about three or four
days, the people
prepared to pass over Jordan, under the conduct of Joshua, i. chap. 11. This
was the space of time mentioned, containing as v. onderful issues and successes of
things as ever befell the church of God in the like space of time. Every year in
the whole forty was full of instances of the people s sins, provocations, temptations,
and unbelief; and every year also was filled with tokens of God s
displeasure and
indignation, until the close of the while dispensation came, wherein that generation
that carne out of Egypt under Moses was consumed, and the indignation of God
rested in their consumption. And it is not unlikely but that the apostle minds
the Hebrews of this space of time granted unto their forefathers in the wilderness
after their coming up out of Egypt, with their abuse of it, because an alike space
of time was now, in the patience of God, allotted unto the whole church and
people of the Jews, between the preaching of Christ and that wasting destruc
tion that was to come upon them. And according to this type it fell out with
thtm; for, as after their forefathers, who came up under Moses out of Egypt
were consumed in forty years in the wilderness, a new church, a new generation,
under the conduct of Joshua, entered into the rest of God; so within forty years
after the preaching of spiritual deliverance unto them, which was rejected by them,
that whole generation was cut off in the wrath of God, and a new church of Jews
and Gentiles, under the conduct of the true Joshua, enters into the rest of God.
" A/o 7rpoffu^6i(Tst, Wherefore I was The grieved." apnstle here alters the
tenor of the discourse in the psalmist, by interposing a reference unto the cause
of God s being grieved with the people, in the word S/o, "wherefore;" that is,
because of their manifold temptations and provocations, not cured, not healed,
although for so long a season they beheld his works. They continued in the
same kind of sins on the account whereof God was first provoked, and sware
against their entering into the land. For, as we have before observed, the oath
of God passed against them at the beginning of the forty years; but they abiding
obstinately in the same sins, the execution of that oath had respect unto all their
provocations during the whole fony years.
"
I was Hpaau^6t<3ct,
grieved." This
word is supposed peculiar unto the Hellenistical Jews, nor doth it
other author, hut only in the Greek version of the Old Testament.
occur in any
Nor is it used
by the LXX. in any place to express Efip, the word here used in the origi
nal, but they render it by x.df*.vu,
ex.r /ix,u, and xoTriu. In the New Testament it is
only in this place, and thence transferred into the psalm. It is generally thought
"
to be derived from S%dv or o%6o$, the batik of a a riv<-r, rising hill or ridge by the
water s side." Thence is faSta,
"
to be offended," to bear a thing difficultly, with
tediousness and vexation, so as to rise up with indignation against it, like the
ground that riseth against the waters. TLpoao^di^a is the same, with an addition
of sense, "to be greatly grieved." And this word,
even in our language: for it either is as much as
with sorrow and grief, or a being wearied, accompanied with indignation; as we
say, such or such a thing is grievous,
"
" "
that is, grave," moh stum," or trouble
some." And so is the word here used,
"
to be is
grieved," ambiguous
"
dolore affici," to be affected
"
grieved," that is burdened, and provoked,
offended. So Jerome: "Displicuit mihi generatio ista,"
me."
"displeased
"Pertuli
ean:, sed non sine taedio," I bare them, but not without wearisomeness." Sym-
"
uiachus and Aqmla render the original word by ^vfa-piorioftxi, to be displeased."