Deuteronomy 27

De. 27 1 And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandment which I command you this day. And it shall be on the 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 : 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 flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised thee. And it shall be when ye are passed 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. And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones : thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of unhewn stones : and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God : and thou shalt sacrifice peace offerings, and shalt eat there ; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly. 9 And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Keep silence, and hearken, O Israel ; this day thou art become the people of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the LORD thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day. 11 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over Jordan ; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin : and these shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse ; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall answer, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, 15 Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. 16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. 17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. 18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. 19 Cursed be he that wresteth the judgement of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. 20 Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife ; because he hath uncovered his father’s skirt And all the people shall say, Amen. 21 Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. 22 Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. 23 Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. 24 Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour in secret. And all the people shall say, Amen. 25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

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

Ch. 27. The Law having been reiterated with special reference to the circumstances of the people when settled in the promised land, Moses in a third discourse, contained in chs. 27-30, proceeds more specially to dwell on its sanctions. In these chapters he sets before Israel in striking and elaborate detail the blessings which would ensue upon faithfulness to the covenant, and the curses which disobedience would involve. The present chapter introduces this portion of the book by enjoining the erection of a stone monument on which the Law should be inscribed as soon as the people took possession of the promised inheritance. Espin.

Stone Monuments Inscribed with the Law to be Erected on Mount Ebal (verses 1-10).

As the first law had been followed by a solemn ratification of the covenant when the altar and the twelve pillars were erected at the base of Sinai, so Moses gave directions for a still more solemn ratification when they should come into the land. They were to “set up great stones, and plaister them with plaister, and write upon them all the words of this law.” These stones were to be “set up in Mount Ebal,” and an altar built there, and burnt-offerings and peace-offerings presented. J. M. G.—After having taken possession of the land conferred upon them by God, that they should make monuments of stone, plaster them, engrave upon them “all the words of this law,” and erect them, together with an altar of unhewn stones, upon Mount Ebal, as an enduring testimony against the sins of the people, should they ever apostatize from God. These stones of memorial, with the altar for burnt-offering, were to be, on the part of the people, the sealing of their covenant with the Lord; and just as by the tables of the Law deposited in the ark of the covenant, but withdrawn from the popular view, so here, by public and ostensible monuments, were Israel to avouch themselves the Lord’s people, and bound to obey his laws and judgments. C. G. B.

The erection of the stones as here prescribed, and the inscription of the Law on those stones, was a symbolical act declaring on the part of the people that they took possession of the land by virtue of their covenant with God, and on condition of their own faithfulness thereto. These acts, as also the preservation of the two tables in the ark of the covenant (cf. 31:26), were witness against the people in case they should break their vows. Espin.

1. These instructions Moses gives in conjunction with the elders of Israel, who are associated with him here, because on them would devolve the obligation to see to the fulfilment of what the Law enjoined after Moses had ceased to be the ruler and leader of the people.

2. On the day when ye shall pass over Jordan—i.e., at the time; “day” is here used in a wide sense. Thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister. The stones, the number of which is not specified, were to be large, because much was to be inscribed upon them, and they were to be covered with a coating of lime or gypsum, in order to secure a smooth white surface on which the inscription might be clearly depicted. Such a mode of publishing laws or edicts was common in ancient times. Pillars of stone or metal, on which laws were inscribed, are frequently mentioned by the classical writers. W. L. A.—The stones here named are not those of which the altar was to be built, but are to serve as a separate monument witnessing to the fact that the people took possession of the land by virtue of the Law inscribed on them and with an acknowledgment of its obligations. Espin.—A careful examination of ch. 27:4, 8, and Josh. 8:30-32, will lead to the opinion that the Law was written upon or in the plaster with which these pillars were coated. This could easily be done, and such writing was common in ancient times. I have seen specimens of it certainly more than two thousand years old, and still as distinct as when they were first inscribed on the plaster. Thompson.

4. The stones erected on Ebal. But why on Ebal, the mount of cursing? Had there been a law which could have given life, “verily,” Paul says, “righteousness should have been by the Law.” In that case, the appropriate place for the erection of the stones would have been Gerizim—the mount of blessing. But the Law could not give life; as requiring perfect obedience it could only condemn. Its principal function was to give “knowledge of sin.” Hence the appropriate place for the stones was on the mount of cursing. Orr.

5-7. Besides the monumental stones, an altar of whole stones, on which no tool had passed, was to be erected, and burnt-offerings and peace-offerings were to be presented as at the establishment of the covenant at Sinai, fol.

lowed by the statutory festive entertainment. W. L. A.—As the Law testified to sin, so the sacrifices testified to grace—to the provision in mercy which lay within the covenant for the removal of guilt. Burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, as well as the sin-offerings, included the idea of propitiation. The burnt-offerings and peace-offerings testified—the one to the entire consecration of heart and life which is the condition of acceptable service; the other, to the peace and fellowship with God which, on the ground of sacrifice, are attained through consecration and obedience. Orr.

Side by side with the records of a law which demands perfect righteousness, there is the altar and its sacrifice thereon, speaking to the people of a Divine provision for forgiving the penitent. The penitent is set free from the curse of law, that he may ever after co-operate with God in honoring the Law from whose curse he has been redeemed.

8. Write very plainly.** In the books which Moses left behind him there was a revelation of the Divine mind and will so clear and distinct that no one reading even the Pentateuch with a loyal faith need ever have been at a loss to know that the ground of his trust was the forgiving love of God, and that the duty of life was summed up in love to God and love to man. Later teachings are given with increasing clearness; those of the prophets, of our Lord, and of the apostles. In all, the main teachings are given “very plainly.” The plainness of Scripture is not of that kind which men outgrow as they get older. Those very passages which charm childhood with their simplicity, come to have a fuller and deeper meaning for the “old disciple.” C. C.

9,10. When Israel renewed the covenant with the Lord, by solemnly setting up the Law in Canaan, it became thereby the nation of God, and bound itself at the same time to hearken to the voice of the Lord, and keep his commandments, as it had already done. W. L. A.—They were bound by what God had done for them, and by the vows which on different occasions they had taken on themselves. They were his by covenant with the fathers. He had made them his by redemption from Egypt. He had covenanted with them at Sinai. The covenant being broken, he had at Moses’ intercession graciously renewed it. He had kept covenant with the children, even when rejecting the fathers. Thirty-eight years he had led them in the wilderness, and once more had gathered them together to hear them renew their vows of obedience. Which things remind us of the many bonds by which numbers of Christ’s people are bound to his covenant. By redemption, by dedication of parents, by personal choice of the Saviour, by public profession, by repeated visits to his table, by special vows. Orr.

Blessings and Cursings, as Sanctions of the Law, to be Proclaimed on Gerizim and Ebal (verses 11–14).

Having set up the Law and renewed the covenant in Canaan, Israel was to proclaim upon the land the blessing and the curse of the Law. For this purpose six tribes were to station themselves on Mount Gerizim, and six on Mount Ebal, the former to pronounce the blessing, the latter the curse. W. L. A.—Those rocky ridges lay in the province of Samaria, and the peaks referred to were near Shechem (Nablous), rising in steep precipices to the height of about eight hundred feet, and separated by a green, well-watered valley, of about five hundred yards wide. The people of Israel were here divided into two parts. On Mount Gerizim (now Jebel-et-Tur) were stationed the descendants of Rachel and Leah, the two principal wives of Jacob, and to them was assigned the most pleasant and honorable office of pronouncing the benedictions; while on the twin hill of Ebal (now Imad-el-Deen) were placed the posterity of the two secondary wives, Zilpah and Bilhah, with those of Reuben, who had lost the primogeniture, and Zebulun, son of Leah, youngest son; to them were committed the duty of pronouncing the maledictions. The ceremony might have taken place on the lower spurs of the mountains, where they approach more closely to each other. Jamieson.

To use the historical form of expression, as the scene is described more fully here than on its actual performance under Joshua (8:30), the twelve tribes were divided between the two hills. On Gerizim stood Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin, to bless the people; on Ebal, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, to utter the curses which are then fully recited. P. S.—Between the two stood “the Levites”—i.e., in this place the priests; since the tribe of Levi stands among the other tribes. Here, where the point at issue was not the division of the land, but the personal position of the tribes to the Lord, Levi is reckoned among the twelve, and Joseph stands as one tribe. Gerl.

Curses Pronounced on Mount Ebal (verses 15–26).

The curses to be pronounced were twelve in number, probably to correspond with the number of the tribes. The blessings are not here recorded; but when the injunction here given was fulfilled by Joshua, the blessing as well as the curse was pronounced (Josh. 8:34). . . . Each of the first eleven curses is directed against some particular sin already denounced in the Law. The twelfth curse is directed generally against all breaches of the Law, against those who fail or refuse to set up the whole Law and follow it as the rule of life and conduct. This shows that the sins specially denounced are selected by way of specimen, and also, perhaps, because they are such as could for the most part be easily concealed from judicial inspection. W. L. A.

There is a larger place for the curses than for the blessing—for the Law in its form and substance was more prohibitive than injunctive, as its subjects were more prone to transgression than obedience. All the tribes that stood on Gerizim to bless were descended from children of Jacob’s wives. The disgraced Reuben, Zebulun, and the sons of the concubines, were appointed to pronounce the curses. It is well to note the sins thus specially stigmatized: idolatry—filial impiety—rapacity—inhumanity, and more especially to the helpless—corrupt judgment—incest—bestiality—violence, and specially in secrecy or guile—murder, and specially for gain—and lastly, that which brings every son and daughter of Adam under the condemnation and the curse, want of conformity to the Law in any of its requirements—a conformity which one and all of us have so miserably fallen short of. T. C.

The list is avowedly representative (verse 26), but it covers a large part of the Decalogue. The first table is fairly represented by the second commandment, and a curse is pronounced on the making and worshipping of images (verse 15). The precepts of the second table are involved in the other verses—the fifth commandment in the curse on filial disrespect (verse 16); the sixth in the curse on murder (verse 24); the seventh in the curses on the grosser forms of uncleanness (verses 20-23); the eighth in the curse on removing the landmark (verse 17); the ninth in the curse on slaying another for reward, which may include perjury (verse 25); while verses 18, 19 may be viewed as forbidding breaches of the law of love generally. Orr.

16. What hath been observed concerning the laws of Solon and of Romulus, the first an Athenian, the other a Roman lawgiver, is also remarkable in the laws of Moses—namely, that no mention is made of murderers of fathers or mothers; as if it were impossible that any one could do so execrable a deed. But he who struck, or he who cursed his father or mother, was to be treated as he who cursed God and blasphemed his holy name; he was to be put to death. Afterward, as iniquity abounded in the world, murderers of fathers and mother, as Paul observes, were no uncommon criminals, and severe laws were enacted by the Romans and by other nations against such vile malefactors.

18. Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander. Among several heinous crimes, such as idolatry, contempt of parents, murder, rapine, and the like, is mentioned this of “causing the blind to go out of their way:” a wickedness of a singular nature, and which one would not expect to find in this list of vicious actions. It is a crime which is seldom committed; there are few opportunities for it; there is little temptation to it; it is doing mischief for mischief’s sake, an enormity to which few can easily bring themselves. Blindness in all languages is put for error and ignorance; and in the style of the Scriptures, ways and paths, and walking, running, going, wandering astray, stumbling, falling, mean the actions and the behavior of men. These obvious observations will lead us to the moral, mystical, spiritual, and enlarged sense of the Law or communication: and it is this, Cursed is he who imposeth upon the simple, the credulous, the unwary, the ignorant, and the helpless; and either hurts, or defrauds, or deceives, or seduces, or misinforms, or misleads, or perverts, or corrupts, or spoils them. And if cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of his way, then by the rule of contraries, blessed is he who can say with Job, “I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.” Jortia.

26. Cursed be he that confirmeth not. The severe spirit which pervades the Law, as shown in the numerous exactions and declaratory curses detailed in this book, was consistently contrived to point out the rigorous character of the Divine justice, which, in a covenant of stipulated observances, necessarily required punctilious and universal obedience. For though the Divine mercy might compassionate the weakness of human nature, and therefore it prescribed atonements not difficult to be paid; yet God could not, in conformity with his relation to the Israelites, overlook even involuntary deficiencies, or casual defilements. Gray.—Such crimes are mentioned as might escape the eyes even of a watchful judicature, in order to declare that God at all events will find out such sinners, and to impress on the hypocrite a horror of the works of darkness.

In the last curse all the rest are included. Geri.

Lessons from the past alternate throughout with solemn admonitions for the future. The Bible furnishes few examples of warnings which in melting pathos or awful power equal those of this book. It does not surprise us that the rabbins of a later day named it the “Book of Admonitions.” The possibility and fear, rising in some places to prophetic conviction, that the

Israel of Red Sea deliverances and of Sinai would yet one day lapse from its high privilege, and lose sight for a time of its predestined goal, dominate like a trumpet-tone beginning, mid- dle, and end of this series of discourses. It is for this reason, among others, that the fourteen chapters of legislation (12-26), whose faithful observance was meant to prevent the day of ca- lamity, are flanked by Ebal and Gerizim. That imposing ceremonial should be forever after- ward a solemn and restraining memory. E. C. B.

BLESSINGS PROMISED TO OBEDIENCE: 1. THOSE PRONOUNCED AT THE GIVING OF THE LAW ON SINAI. 2. THOSE UTTERED ON THE PLAINS OF MOAB, THIRTY-NINE YEARS LATER.