§ 30. The Wandering during Thirty-seven Years in the Wilderness, and the Events up to the Occupation of the Land on the east side of Jordan.

The history of the Pentateuch passes over the following thirty-seven years almost wholly in silence. According to Deut. 1: 46, a long stay of the people in Kadesh must be presupposed. The seventeen places of encampment which are mentioned in Num. 33: 19-36 between Rithmath and Kadesh are those at which the Israelites pitched their camps during the 37 years of wandering in the wilderness. In the first month of the fortieth year, the people are again in Kadesh-Barnea. The new-grown race show the same stubbornness as the earlier one; they contend with Moses and Aaron; and as at this time even the faith of these two wavers, to them also entrance into the land of rest is denied (Num. 20: 10-12). A new outbreak of the people's stubbornness draws upon them another chastisement. The brazen saraph (a fiery serpent) which was suspended, is a symbol of the doing away of evil through the power and grace of God (Num. 21: 4-9). To this the typical use in John 3: 14 attaches itself. Then follow, in the land on the east side of the Jordan, successful combats, as a testimony of Jehovah's faithfulness and a pledge of future victory. Especially interesting is the history of Balaam and Balak (Num. 22: 1-24: 25). It is in this connection that the well-known prophetic passage concerning the star and sceptre arising out of Israel, occurs (Num. 24: 17-19). The new numbering of the people, which was made in the plains of Moab (Num. 26), shows the new-grown race to be numerically almost the same as before (601,730 men fit for war, against 603,550).

§ 31. Deuteronomy. Death of Moses. His Position among the Organs of Revelation.

The people's wandering is completed, and Moses is to place the staff of leadership in Joshua's hands. The last testament of the departing leader to his people is given in Deuteronomy. This, although one of the most disputed books in the Old Testament, is one of the most beautiful.* When Moses has

* The view of some modern critics, that the finding of the book of the law at the repairing of the temple under Josiah, in the year 624 B. C. (2 Kings 22), was in truth the publication of Deuteronomy, which was only written a short time before, is con

finished blessing his people, he mounts to the top of Pisgah in order to cast yet one look on the longed-for land, and appears no more on earth. His end is related in a mysterious way, but is indicated by the same expressions as the common end of man's life (Deut. 34: 5, 7; compared with Deut. 32: 50). (The position of the New Testament to the death of Moses is peculiar. While Heb. 11: 40 says of the Old Covenant fathers, "that apart from us they should not be made perfect," making their perfection dependent on the completion of the New Testament work of redemption,-the New Testament history of the transfiguration, where Moses appears with Elijah, Matt. 17: 3; Luke 9: 30, 31, presupposes Moses as perfected for the heavenly life. If justice is done to all the passages, we must say, with Stier (Words of the Lord Jesus, in Matt. 17): "A wonderful excep tion is made with the bodies of these two from the common lot of death; although the lawgiver actually died on account of sin, and the prophet was already more nearly raised to the victory over death").

The position of Moses, as divinely ordained to exercise all the powers of the theocracy, is a unique one, which did not descend to Joshua, who had only to execute inherited commands, and administer a law already given.

3. The Settlement of Israel in the Holy Land (§ 32, 33). § 32. Occupation of Canaan. Extermination of the Canaanites. The passage of Jordan ensued in a miraculous way, as a pledge to the people that the same mighty God who was with Moses would reveal himself also under the new leader (Josh. 4: 14, 22—24), and therefore this event is expressly placed side by side with the march through the Red Sea (Josh. 4: 23; Ps. 114: 3, 5). The key to the land was won by the conquest of Jericho (Josh. 6). The cherem (ban, devotion as a curse), enjoined in Deut. 7: 2; 20: 16-18, was executed on a number of Canaanitish towns. The Old Testament knows no other ground for the assignment of the land to Israel than the free grace of Jehovah, to whom it belonged; and no other ground

trary to the fact that even the oldest prophets presuppose Deuteronomy, its legislative provisions, and also its speeches. But the examination of the critical question of Deuteronomy must be left to Old Testament Introduction.

for the blotting out of the Canaanite tribes than the divine justice which, after these tribes have filled up the measure of their sins in unnatural abominations (Deut. 12: 31), breaks in at last in vengeance, after long waiting. But Israel is threatened with exactly the same judgment (Deut. 8: 19, 20; Josh. 23: 15, 16) if it become guilty of the sins of the tribes on whom it executes the divine judgment with the sword.

§ 33. Division of the Land. Character of the Promised Land. Israel at the Close of this Period.

In the seventh year after their entrance (Josh. 14: 10), the Israelites began the division of the land, although it was not yet in all parts completely vanquished (Josh. 13: 2-6). Eleazar the priest, and Joshua, with the chiefs of the tribes, managed the business of division.* The division of the land was carried out so that not merely the limits of the tribal territories were fixed, but inside these also the districts of the families. Thus the life of tribe and family remained the basis of civil society. The separation from the other peoples commanded in the law (see especially Lev. 20: 24, 26) was made easier by the secluded position of the land, which was inclosed on the south and east by great wildernesses, on the north by the high mountains of Lebanon, and which even on the west was unfavorable situated for maritime intercourse. On the other hand, by the situation of the land in the midst of the cultivated nations which figure in ancient history, as well as by means of the great highways of the old world which led past its boarders, the future theocratic calling of the people was made possible. A first consequence of the position of Israel in the midst of nations was, that it courted the powers of the world, and was chastised by all, so that all became instruments of judgment on Israel. But on the other side, it was this central position which made this land fit for the starting-point of the religion of the world.

Two parts of the promise given to the patriarchs were fulfilled-the entrance of Israel into their rest in the promised

*The second part of the Book of Joshua is of immense value for Biblical Geography.

land, and the increase of the people like the stars of heaven (Deut. 10: 22). But the dominion over the nations (Gen. 27: 29; 49: 10) was not yet obtained, the blessing of Abraham was not yet come to the heathen; nay, a new cycle of history must arise in which centuries of contest for mere existence were ordained for the people.

PART II. THE DOCTRINES AND ORDINANCES OF

§ 34. Survey.

MOSAISM (§ 34—156).

This section is divided as follows:

I.

The doctrine of God and His relation to the world.

The doctrine of man and his relation to God.

2.

The most general designations of the Divine Being are El, Eloah, Elohim, El-Elyon, El-Shaddai, and Jehovah. It is a mistake to bring the theological divisions of a later period into Biblical Theology, and to treat God's attributes according to a preconceived scheme. Biblical Theology traces the religion of revelation in its rise and development, and finds for the definition of the idea of God a gradually advancing series of statements concerning the divine essence. But in these stages the idea of God is so unfolded that the higher stages do not destroy the lower, but embrace them.

§ 36. The names El, Eloah, Elohim, El-Elyon.

I.

El is the oldest Semitic name of God. As a name of the true God, it is not frequent in the prose of the Old Testament. It hardly ever appears except with the article, or in connection with a following genitive, or an attribute annexed in some other way. Its original sense is "the powerful, the strong." The name El also appears in a number of the oldest names of men (Gen. 4: 18, Mehuja-el, Methusha-el).

2. Eloah the singular of Elohim occurs in the Old Testament almost exclusively in poetical language, with the excep

tion of the later books composed under Aramaic influence. It originally expresses the impression made by power. Eloah is, according to this, the power which awakens terror. That the natural man finds himself, when confronted by the Divinity, chiefly moved by a feeling of fear, is expressed in this designation of God.

3. The most common designation of the Divine Being in the Old Testament is Elohim, the plural of Eloah. This plural form is peculiar to the Old Testament and it appears as a name of God only in old Hebrew, and in none of the other Semitic languages. The meaning of the plural is not numerical, either in the sense in which some older theologians understand it, who seek the mystery of the Trinity in the name;* or in the sense that the expression had originally a polytheistic meaning, and only at a later period acquired a singular sense; or that originally the plural indicated the one God together with the angels; but it is much better to explain Elohim, as the quantitative plural, which is used to denote unlimited greatness. The plural signifies the infinite fulness of the might and power which lies in the Divine Being, and thus passes over into the intensive plural, as Delitzsch has named it. The plural contained in Adonai is to be explained in the same way; indeed, this plural of majesty has also passed to other titles of God. Elohim remains all through the Old Testament the general name of God; and is used with special emphasis in the Elohistic psalms.

As the name of the true God, Elohim is regularly joined with the singular.

4. The divine name El-Elyon (God Most High) is also used outside of the sphere of revelation. It occurs in the history of Melchizedek (Gen. 14: 18), and it is characteristic that it appears in the mouth of the king of Babylon (Isa. 14: 14), probably to designate Bel.

* But even this view has some truth at its foundation, since the plural form, indicating the inexhaustible fulness of the Divinity, serves to combat the most daring enemy of the doctrine of the Trinity-abstract monotheism.