John Calvin Complete Commentary - Numbers 32:14 - 32:14

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John Calvin Complete Commentary - Numbers 32:14 - 32:14


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

14.And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead. He signifies that, by their evil doings, they were “ up the measure” of their fathers, as Jesus spoke of the Jews of His own time. In this sense he calls them an addition (accessio,) which word I take to mean a climax (cumulus.) For their translation is a poor one, who render it education, or offspring, or foster-children. With the Hebrews, תרבות, (217) tarbuth, is literally an increase, or multiplication; and thus is applied to usury. This passage, however, requires that it should be explained as a heap, as much as to say that a new body of persons were springing up afresh, who carried impiety to its very height. In a word, he intimates that fuel was added to the fire which was now smouldering, whereby a new flame was excited: for he says that they were furnishing materials for God’ wrath, so that it should burst forth more and more against the whole people.



(217) תרבות is a noun heemantic, from רבה to increase and multiply. The V. has “ et alumni,” as though the Latin translator thought the first word insufficient to express the whole meaning of the Hebrew noun. — W