Deuteronomy 1:18

1:9-18 Moses reminds the people of the happy constitution of their government, which might make them all safe and easy, if it was not their own fault. He owns the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham, and prays for the further accomplishment of it. We are not straitened in the power and goodness of God; why should we be straitened in our own faith and hope? Good laws were given to the Israelites, and good men were to see to the execution of them, which showed God's goodness to them, and the care of Moses.

(18) And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. —“At that time,” i.e., after your departure from Horeb. This is as much as to say that the exhortations given in Deuteronomy had already been given on the way from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea. (Comp. what has been said above on the two first verses of this chapter.) This verse goes far to justify the view taken there.

This appointment of the "captains" (compare Exodus 18:21 ff) must not be confounded with that of the elders in Numbers 11:16 ff. The former would number 78,600; the latter were 70 only. A comparison between this passage and that in Exodus makes it obvious that Moses is only touching on certain parts of the whole history, without regard to order of time, but with a special purpose. This important arrangement for the good government of the people took place before they left Horeb to march direct to the promised land. This fact sets more clearly before us the perverseness and ingratitude of the people, to which the orator next passes; and shows, what he was anxious to impress, that the fault of the 40 years' delay rested only with themselves!

10. ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude—This was neither an Oriental hyperbole nor a mere empty boast. Abraham was told (Ge 15:5, 6) to look to the stars, and though they "appear" innumerable, yet those seen by the naked eye amount, in reality, to no more than three thousand ten in both hemispheres. The Israelites already far exceeded that number, being at the last census above six hundred thousand [Nu 26:51]. It was a seasonable memento, calculated to animate their faith in the accomplishment of other parts of the divine promise.

לכם הבוּ, give here, provide for yourselves. The congregation was to nominate, according to its tribes, wise, intelligent, and well-known men, whom Moses would appoint as heads, i.e., as judges, over the nation. At their installation he gave them the requisite instructions ( Deuteronomy 1:16 ): "Ye shall hear between your brethren," i.e., hear both parties as mediators, "and judge righteously, without respect of person." פּנים הכּיר, to look at the face, equivalent to פּנים נשׁא ( Leviticus 19:15 ), i.e., to act partially (cf. Exodus 23:2-3 ). "The judgment is God's," i.e., appointed by God, and to be administered in the name of God, or in accordance with His justice; hence the expression "to bring before God" ( Exodus 21:6 ; Exodus 22:7 , etc.). On the difficult cases which the judges were to bring before Moses, see at Exodus 18:26 .

[Reformed Biblical] as, God’s command to depart, #Deuteronomy 1:1-8 . Moses’s inability to judge alone, #Deuteronomy 1:9-12 . Other judges and officers appointed, #Deuteronomy 1:13-16 . Charge given the judges, #Deuteronomy 1:17,18 . Their passage to Kadesh-barnea, #Deuteronomy 1:19-21 . Spies sent to search the land of the Amorites, #Deuteronomy 1:22-24 . Their return and report, #Deuteronomy 1:25 . The disobedience of the people, #Deuteronomy 1:26-33 . God’s wrath, #Deuteronomy 1:34-40 . They smitten by the Amorites, #Deuteronomy 1:44 . Their complaint to God, which the Lord regards not, #Deuteronomy 1:45 . ## Ver. 1. These are the laws, counsels, and admonitions delivered by Moses from God to Israel, which are here repeated for the instruction and obligation of those who by reason of their tender years were uncapable either of understa nding them, o