J

3

addrefs my felf in this Difcourfe; but to fuch as understand, or are willing to learn, the ftile of the Old Teftament. Thele will find, that as the LORD was the King of the Ifraelites, he was faid to go before them; becaufe of the Ark and other fymbols of his prefence, as well as that his Generals MOSES and JOSHUA did lead them: and indeed all the actions of thefe and fuch others, as of the High-priefts, and of the Prophets (if agreable to his Laws) are call'd his actions, those of all Minifters being ever attributed to the Prince whom they serve and obey.

XXVII. THE fame is as true of the chief Guide of the Ifraelites, no mean Officer, and fubject onely to the General himself: fuch an inftitution as this being as antient as it is natural. VEGETIUS with great judgment 29 obferves, that from all antiquity every nation has difcover'd this truth; that the whole Army shou'd know by fignals, and obey, whatever the General alone fhou'd judge convenient. But even the General, when ignorant of the way, muft rely on the Guide, who then properly directs the fignals: for, as the fame VEGETIUS 30 has it, whither foever the Leader orders the Enfigns, to move, that way the foldiers must neceffarily march along with their colors, to ufe our English expreffion. These things thus explain'd, it remains onely to know, who was this Guide and Director? not that the question is of very much importance, or that any thing we have hitherto faid about the main point, wou'd be

1

29. Antiquus omnium gentium ufus invenit, quomodo, quod folus Dux uti'e judicaffet, per figna totus agnofceret et fequeretur exercitus, Lib. 3. cap. 5,

30. Quocunque enim haec ferri jufferit Ductor, ed neceffe eft, fignum fuum comitantes, milites pergant. Ibid.

the

32,33,34,

the lefs true, fhou'd we not be able to resolve it: but that a lover of Truth is pleas'd with the unridling of the meanest circumftances, tho purely incidental, as ftill reflecting more light and cer titude on the fubject. I answer then, that for the greatest part of the time, if not during the whole time, this Guide was no other than HoBAB, the brother-in-law of Moses; who was. born and bred in the wilderness, and confequently well acquainted with the feveral parts of it. This appears out of the book of Num bers, where HOBAB expreffing a defign of returning back to his own countrey of Midian, as his father JETHRO did before (for we fhall prove JETHRO was his father, and RAGUEL his grandfather) MOSES faid unto HOBAB, the Num. 10. Son of RAGUEL the Midianite Moses's fa- 29, 30, 31, ther-in-law, we are journeying unto the place of which the LORD faid, I will give it you come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD bath Spoken good concerning Ifrael. And be faid unto him, I will not go; but I will de- HOBAB. part to mine own land, and to my kindred. And: be faid, leave us not, I pray thee; for as much Moses. as thou knoweft bow we are to incamp in the wildernefs, and thou mayeft be to us instead of eyes: and it fball be, if thou goeft with us, yea it shall be, that what goodness the LORD fhall do unto us, the fame will we do unto thee. And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days journey ; Sinal. and the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days journey, to fearch out a refting place for them: and the Cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the Camp. The things to be briefly remark'd here, are, that HOBAB fignifying his defire of returning to his own countrey and kindred (particularly to his father JETHRO, who had departed be- Exod. 18.

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fore) 27.

fore) MOSES is earnest with him to ftay for two weighty reafons. The firft of these is, that HoBAB knew how they were to incamp in the wilderness, which fhows that he was already imploy'd in this matter: and the second is, that in the reft of their way, to the land they were going to conquer, he might ferve them instead of eyes, or be their Guide. The more effectually to determine Ho B A B to this choice, Moses promifes him a share in the good fortune of the Ifraelites, who were likely to get poffeffion of a much better territory than Midian, a barren part of the wilderness; in comparison of which Judea flow'd with milk and honey, or abounded with all things. Then it is immediately added (without any mention of HOBA B's perfifting in his refolution, but a plain implication of his accepting fuch advantageous conditions, which will presently appear he did) that they march'd forward three days journey; the Ark born before them, representing JEHOVAH their King's presence, and the Cloud of JEHOVAH fhowing them the way as hitherto. The confideration of thefe particulars weigh'd fo farr with me fome years ago, that I then purpos'd to intitle this Differtation HOBAB: but as I wou'd guard against the cavils of those, who, finding nothing material to criticize, will be nibbling at indifferent incidents, I afterwards chang'd my mind: fince, tho it be not impoffible that HOBAB might continue in this poft forty years, and that it is probable he went to join MOSES, as foon as ever the Ifraelitifh expedition was begun; yet tis likewife as poffible, that he might not be the firft Guide in the wilderness of Etham, nor live till the paffage of Jordan, when the Pillar became ufelefs for the fu

ture.

XXVIII. TO

XXVIII. TO crown our work, I fhall here be at some small pains to folve the difficulties, that: have been started by not a few Commentators, about this fame HOBAB; who is fomtimes confounded with his father, fomtimes with his grandfather, and at other times with both. There have not been wanting therfore, who made RAGUEL or REHUEL (according to the different pronunciation of the Letter Hajin) I fay RAGUEL, JETHRO, Y and HOBAB, to be all one and the fame perfon: tho it be manifeft from our last citation out of Numbers, that at least RAGUEL and HOBAB were not Num. 10. the fame, fince HOBAB is there exprefly call'd 29. the fon of RAGUEL the Midianite, Moses's father-in-law. But which of them was the fatherin-law is another doubt; because, by reafon of an ambiguity very common in the Hebrew language, the place may be fo conftru'd, as to make either RAGUEL or HOBAB the father-in-law, which nothing but circumstances can decide: and by these circumftances it will be evident, that neither of them was literally and properly MoSES's father-in law; tho either of them might be figuratively and cuftomarily fo ftil'd. While the grandfather lives, he's ftill head of the famimily, and call'd father by all his defcendants. This was a common ufage in the Eaft, of which there are manifold examples in the Old Teftament, where even a deceas'd grandfather is call'd father by his grandchild. Except the God of my father Gen. 31. (fays JACOB to LABAN) the God of ABRAHAM, 42. and the terror of Is A AC, had been with me, furely thou hadst fent me away now emty, Thus LABAN, Ibid. ver. to produce no more authorities in a matter fo 43. clear, calls JACOB's children his own, because they were born of his daughters. Now RAGUEL was the grandfather of ZIPPORAH MOSES'S

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wife,

wife, JETHRO's daughter; notwithstanding that the and the reft are, after the oriental manner, nam'd the children of RAGUEL, who for the fame reafon was call'd Moses's father-in-law. This account will be very eafy to any one, that Exod.2.18. carefully compares together the fecond, third, & 2. 1.& fourth, and eighteenth chapters of Exodus, where 4.18.& 18. RAGUEL is mention'd the firft time, and JE

1-27.

THRO ever after, as being more nearly concern'd in the affairs of his daughter. He was not a litthe proud, we may eafily imagine, to have fo great a man for his fon-in-law as MOSES became; and therfore he not onely waited on him at mount Sinai (RAGUEL being probably too old for a journey) but affifted him with excellent advice, towards fettling the Government of the Ifraelites. That RAGUEL was the father of JETHRO is the opinion of ABEN EZRA and DRUSIUS: but things themfelves weigh more with me than all fubfequent authority. As RAGUEL and JETHRO, fo this laft and his Son HOBAB have been conNum. 10. founded together, by reafon of the equivoque I have remark'd before in the tenth of Numbers: yet, fetting afide all confiderations about the mul tiplicity of names (a thing very uncertain, and fubject to perpetual wrangling) we are help'd out here by obvious circumftances, to prove that JETHRO and HOB AB were not the fame perfon; fince JETHRO had actually departed to his own country, long before Moses made it his request Num. 10. to HOBAB, to direct the incampment and marches of the Ifraelites in the wilderness. As HOBAB was call'd the fon of his grandfather, there is no impropriety in calling him Moses's father-in-law, brothers ftanding inftead of fathers to their fifters; efpecially if the father be dead or abfent. THEoDORET did not only maintain HOBAB to be in

29.

Exod. 18.

27.

29.

reality