the antiquities of the jews-1-第333章

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intimates　that　God's　answer　the　second　time；　permitting　him　to
go；　was　ironical；　and　on　design　that　he　deceived　（which　sort　of
deception；　by　way　of　punishment　for　former　crimes；　Josephus　never
scruples　to　admit；　as　ever　esteeming　such　wicked　men　justly　and
providentially　deceived）。　But　perhaps　we　had　better　keep　here
close　to　the　text　which　says　Numbers　23：20；　21；　that　God　only
permitted　Balaam　to　go　along　with　the　ambassadors；　in　case　they
came　and　called　him；　or　positively　insisted　on　his　going　along
with　them；　on　any　terms；　whereas　Balaam　seems　out　of　impatience
to　have　risen　up　in　the　morning；　and　saddled　his　ass；　and　rather
to　have　called　them；　than　staid　for　their　calling　him；　so　zealous
does　he　seem　to　have　been　for　his　reward　of　divination；　his　wages
of　unrighteousness；　Numbers　23：7；　17；　18；　37；　2　Peter　2：15；　Jude
5；　11；　which　reward　or　wages　the　truly　religious　prophets　of　God
never　required　nor　accepted；　as　our　Josephus　justly　takes　notice
in　the　cases　of　Samuel；　Antiq。　B。　V。　ch。　4。　sect。　1；　and　Daniel；
Antiq。　B。　X。　ch。　11。　sect。　3。　See　also　Genesis　14：22；　23；　2　Kings
5：15；　16；　26；　27；　and　Acts　8；17…24。

（9）　Whether　Josephus　had　in　his　copy　but　two　attempts　of　Balaam
in　all　to　curse　Israel；　or　whether　by　this　his　twice　offering
sacrifice；　he　meant　twice　besides　that　first　time　already
mentioned；　which　yet　is　not　very　probable；　cannot　now　be
certainly　determined。　In　the　mean　time；　all　other　copies　have
three　such　attempts　of　Balaam　to　curse　them　in　the　present
history。

（10）　Such　a　large　and　distinct　account　of　this　perversion　of　the
Israelites　by　the　Midianite　women；　of　which　our　other　copies　give
us　but　short　intimations；　Numbers　31：16　2　Peter　2：15；　Jude　11；
Revelation　2：14；　is　preserved；　as　Reland　informs　us；　in　the
Samaritan　Chronicle；　in　Philo；　and　in　other　writings　of　the　Jews；
as　well　as　here　by　Josephus。

（11）　This　grand　maxim；　That　God's　people　of　Israel　could　never　be
hurt　nor　destroyed；　but　by　drawing　them　to　sin　against　God；
appears　to　be　true；　by　the　entire　history　of　that　people；　both　in
the　Bible　and　in　Josephus；　and　is　often　taken　notice　of　in　them
both。　See　in　particular　a　most　remarkable　Ammonite　testimony　to
this　purpose；　Judith　5：5…21。

（12）　What　Josephus　here　puts　into　the　mouths　of　these　Midianite
women；　who　came　to　entice　the　Israelites　to　lewdness　and
idolatry；　viz。　that　their　worship　of　the　God　of　Israel；　in
opposition　to　their　idol　gods；　implied　their　living　according　to
the　holy　laws　which　the　true　God　had　given　them　by　Moses；　in
opposition　to　those　impure　laws　which　were　observed　under　their
false　gods；　well　deserves　our　consideration；　and　gives　us　a
substantial　reason　for　the　great　concern　that　was　ever　shown
under　the　law　of　Moses　to　preserve　the　Israelites　from　idolatry；
and　in　the　worship　of　the　true　God；　it　being　of　no　less
consequence　than；　Whether　God's　people　should　be　governed　by　the
holy　laws　of　the　true　God；　or　by　the　impure　laws　derived　from
demons；　under　the　pagan　idolatry。

（13）　The　mistake　in　all　Josephus's　copies；　Greek　and　Latin　which
have　here　fourteen　thousand　instead　of　twenty…four　thousand；　is
so　flagrant；　that　our　very　learned　editors；　Bernard　and　Hudson；
have　put　the　latter　number　directly　into　the　text。　I　choose
rather　to　put　it　in　brackets。

（14）　The　slaughter　of　all　the　Midianite　women　that　had
prostituted　themselves　to　the　lewd　Israelites；　and　the
preservation　of　those　that　had　not　been　guilty　therein；　the　last
of　which　were　no　fewer　than　thirty…two　thousand；　both　here　and
Numbers　31：15…17；　35；　40；　46；　and　both　by　the　particular　command
of　God；　are　highly　remarkable；　and　show　that；　even　in　nations
otherwise　for　their　wickedness　doomed　to　destruction；　the
innocent　were　sometimes　particularly　and　providentially　taken
care　of；　and　delivered　from　that　destruction；　which　directly
implies；　that　it　was　the　wickedness　of　the　nations　of　Canaan；　and
nothing　else；　that　occasioned　their　excision。　See　Genesis　15；16；
1　Samuel　15：18；　33；　Apost。　Constit。　B。　VIII。　ch。　12。　p。　402。　In
the　first　of　which　places；　the　reason　of　the　delay　of　the
punishment　of　the　Amorites　is　given；　because　〃their　iniquity　was
not　yet　full。〃　In　the　secured；　Saul　is　ordered　to　go　and　〃destroy
the　sinners；　the　Amalekites；〃　plainly　implying　that　they　were
therefore　to　be　destroyed；　because　they　were　sinners；　and　not
otherwise。　In　the　third；　the　reason　is　given　why　king　Agag　was
not　to　be　spared；　viz。　because　of　his　former　cruelty：　〃As　thy
sword　hath　made　the　（Hebrew）　women　childless；　so　shall　thy　mother
be　made　childless　among　women　by　the　Hebrews。〃　In　the　last　place；
the　apostles；　or　their　amanuensis　Clement；　gave　this　reason　for
the　necessity　of　the　coming　of　Christ；　that　〃men　had　formerly
perverted　both　the　positive　law；　and　that　of　nature；　and　had　cast
out　of　their　mind　the　memory　of　the　Flood；　the　burning　of　Sodom；
the　plagues　of　the　Egyptians；　and　the　slaughter　of　the
inhabitants　of　Palestine；〃　as　signs　of　the　most　amazing
impenitence　and　insensibility；　under　the　punishments　of　horrid
wickedness。

（15）　Josephus　here；　in　this　one　sentence；　sums　up　his　notion　of
Moses's　very　long　and　very　serious　exhortations　in　the　book　of
Deuteronomy；　and　his　words　are　so　true；　and　of　such　importance；
that　they　deserve　to　be　had　in　constant　remembrance。

（16）　This　law；　both　here　and　Exodus　20：25；　26；　of　not　going　up　to
God's　altar　by　ladder…steps；　but　on　an　acclivity；　seems　not　to
have　belonged　to　the　altar　of　the　tabernacle；　which　was　in　all
but　three　cubits　high；　Exodus　27：4；　nor　to　that　of　Ezekiel；　which
was　expressly　to　be　gone　up　to　by　steps；　ch。　43：17；　but　rather　to
occasional　altars　of　any　considerable　altitude　and　largeness；　as
also　probably　to　Solomon's　altar；　to　which　it　is　here　applied　by
Josephus；　as　well　as　to　that　in　Zorobabel's　and　Herod's　temple；
which　were；　I　think；　all　ten　cubits　high。　See　2　Chronicles　4：1；
and　Antiq。　B。　VIII。　ch。　3。　sect。　7。　The　reason　why　these　temples；
and　these　only；　were　to　have　this　ascent　on　an　acclivity；　and　not
by　steps；　is　obvious；　that　before　the　invention　of　stairs；　such
as　we　now　use；　decency　could　not　be　otherwise　provided　for　in　the
loose　garments　which　the　priests　wore；　as　the　law　required。　See
Lamy　of　the　Tabernacle　and　Temple；　p。　444。

（17）　The　hire　of　public　or　secret　harlots　was　given　to　Venus　in
Syria；　as　Lucian　informs　us；　p。　878；　and　against　some　such　vile
practice　of　the　old　idolaters　this　law　seems　to　have　been　made。

（18）　The　Apostolical　Constitutions；　B。　II。　ch。　26。　sect。　31；
expound　this　law　of　Moses；　Exodus　22。　28；　〃Thou　shalt　not　revile
or　blaspheme　the　gods；〃　or　magistrates；　which　is　a　much　more
probable　exposition　than　this　of　Josephus；　of　heathen　gillis；　as
here；　and　against　Apion；　B。　II。　ch。　3。　sect。　31。　What　book　of　the
law　was　thus　publicly　read；　see　the　note　on　Antiq。　B。　X。　ch。　5。
sect。　5；　and　1　Esd。　9：8…55。

（19）Whether　these　phylacteries；　and　other　Jewish　memorials　of　the
law　here　mentioned　by　Josephus；　and　by　Muses；　（besides　the
fringes　on　the　borders　of　their　garments；　Numbers　15：37；）　were
literally　meant　by　God；　I　much　question。　That　they　have　been　long
observed　by　the　Pharisees　and　Rabbinical　Jews　is　certain；
however；　the　Karaites；　who　receive　not　the　unwritten　traditions
of　the　elders；　but　keep　close　to　the　written　law；　with　Jerome　and
Grotius；　think　they　were　not　literally　to　be　understood；　as
Bernard　and　Reland　here　take　notice。　Nor　indeed　do　I　remember
that；　either　in　the　ancienter　books　of　the　Old　Testament；　or　in
the　books　we　call　Apocrypha；　there　are　any　signs　of　such　literal
observations　appearing　among　the　Jews；　though　their　real　or
mystical　signification；　i。e。　the　constant　remembrance　and
observation　of　the　laws　of　God　by　Moses；　be　frequently　inculcated
in　all　the　sacred　writings。

（20）　Here；　as　well　as　elsewhere；　sect。　38；　of　his　Life；　sect。　14；
and　of　the　War；　B。　II。　ch。　20。　sect。　5；　are　but　seven　judges
appointed　for　small　cities；　instead　of　twenty…three　in　the　modern
Rabidns；　which　modern　Rabbis　are　always　but　of　very　little
authority　in　comparison　of　our　Josephus。

（21）　I　have　never　observed　elsewhere；　that　in　the　Jewish
government　women　were　not　admitted　as　legal　witnesses　in　courts
of　ju