that the good can never fail, as it would be contrary to that axiom; for the intention of Jeremiah was only to say, "Look Hananiah, although those who foretell good are beloved, and those are hated who announce evil, the prophets who were before me predicted famines, plagues, wars, &c., and although there were other prophets who contradicted them, and announced good, as you now do, they were not therefore accounted true prophets, but the fulfilment of what they had predicted was awaited for; therefore you must not now boast of your prophesying good as infallible, until your words are verified: if so, then will you be recognized as a true prophet sent by God." The verses couciliate by any of the foregoing opinions. QUESTION 182. Deut. 20:13. And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it (the besieged town) into thine hands, and thou shalt have smitten every male thereof with the edge of the sword. Deut. 20:14. But the women and the little one, and the cattle, all that is in the city, all the spoil thereof thou shalt take unto thyself. "Little ones" must have included males: if such were to be considered as spoil, how does the first passage say that all males were to be slain? RECONCILIATION. According to Rashi, the saying "every male," means only the adults, but not infants or young children: to these he says life was granted although they were males. This is to be understood of the wars which Israel might be subsequently engaged in; but in those of the seven nations of Canaan, the Hivite, Perizite, &c., and Amalek, all were to be put to the sword; for as the family on growing up would become idolaters like their ancestors, Israel might be led astray by attaching themselves to their absurdities, thus committing their errors. By killing the children, therefore, as a lesser injury, they avoided a greater, as the Scripture itself says, "That they teach you not their abominations."1 The verses are therefore not contradictory; for saying " every male," is to be understood only for those grown, as we see the verse following excepts "little ones." QUESTION 183. Deut.20:16. But of the cities of these people which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth. Deut. 21:10. When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive. If all were to be slain, how could captives be made? RECONCILIATION. Where the Scripture says they were to leave none alive, it is to be understood II Deut. 20:18. with the seven wicked nations; but the captives alluded to in the second were to be made when warring with any other people. passage, It must be observed, that in the wars of Israel, whether with the seven nations or any other, they always (as Maimonides and R. Simson Micosi1 prove) first offered peace; for it was a precept from God, that when siege should be laid to a city, they should first offer it peace, which is to be understood generally in any war; and if such proposal of peace was accepted, the inhabitants remained tributaries, as the verse says, "And they shall serve thee," but these were bound to receive the precepts of Noah, as otherwise they could not permit them to dwell among them, according to the text which says, They shall not be in thy land, nor make thee sin." But if they would accept of peace, then there was to be this distinction: in the casual wars with other nations they were to put all to the sword, except the women and children; but in the obligatory ones with the seven nations and Amalek, the Lord decreed that all should be slain. That such was the case, and peace offered even to the latter (excepting Amalek), is proved by Scripture; as it says in Joshua, "That there was not a city that made peace with Israel, excepting the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon, all others they took in battle."2 It thus follows, that if they had accepted peace, war would not have been made with them, besides other proofs that might be adduced. So they say in "Siphré," that Joshua in entering the land sent three dispatches to its rulers: the first saying, "All that will make peace with us, let them come, and we will accept them peaceably:" the second, "All who choose to abandon and quit the land, giving us free entry, shall retire unmolested;" it is said that this proposal was accepted by the Girgashites who went to Africa, therefore, when the Scripture orders the destruction of these nations, it only names six, leaving out the Girgashites: the third said, "All those who desire to make war let them come out and meet us." The Jerusalem Talmud3 says, that the Gibeonites made peace, the Girgashites retired, and the remaining thirty-one kings made war. Returning to the question, the command to slay all that breatheth, is to be understood for the seven nations only; but taking prisoners was permitted in all other wars; which conciliates the verses. QUESTION 184. Deut. 27:12. These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan, Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin. Josh. 8:33. And all Israel and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark, and on that side, before the priests, the Levites, &c. to bless the people. Whoever properly examines the form in which the Lord commanded that the blessings and curses should be pronounced on Mount Gerizim and Ebal, and compares it with what is said to have been done by Joshua, will find three apparent discrepancies between the two.-First, Moses says the tribes were to stand upon the Mount, and Joshua placed them before it. Second, Moses says that the Levites were to deliver the blessings and curses; in Joshua it to bless the people, and no mention is made of curses. says only Third, Moses says Hilchot Melachim, c. 6. 2 Josh. 11:19. 3 Samag. that the blessings and curses should be read by the Levites with a loud voice; but in Joshua it says, that Joshua himself read them to the people. How is all this explainable? RECONCILIATION. To solve these three contradictions, it will be previously necessary to examine three points : First. What were the blessings and curses that were to be read to the people? whether it is to be understood for those eleven, commencing with, "Cursed be the man who maketh a graven image," or any others. Second. Who delivered them? whether the Levites or Israelites. In regard to the first point, there are commentators who differ in opinion— following the Guemara of Sota,' Rashi says, respecting the blessings and curses, that the latter were the eleven maledictions beginning with the word "cursed," and that the Levites turned their faces to Mount Gerizim, and said, "Blessed be the man who maketh not a graven image," &c., and then turning towards Mount Ebal, they said, "Cursed be the man who maketh a graven image," &c., continuing the whole eleven in this way. The learned Aben Ezra does not admit that these were the blessings and curses in question, but understands them to be those contained in the following chapter, which begins, "And it shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments;" &c. where great good is promised to the observers of the law. And immediately after follow the maledictions for its non-observance ; thus, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God," &c.; and then predicting the numberless evils that would befall its transgressors. R. Levi ben Gershon, to avoid mistakes, espouses both opinions, saying, both were read, which appears the most likely, as will be hereafter shewn. In regard to the second point, it is presumable that the Levites delivered the blessings and maledictions, as the text says, "And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel, with a loud voice, cursed be the "3 &c., which is the opinion of our ancient Sages, and it is adopted by Rashi and R. Levi ben Gershon. man,' As to the third point, there are two opinions upon it in the Guemara of Sota 4 one is, that six tribes stood on Mount Gerizim, and six on Mount Ebal, and the Levites placed themselves between the two divisions, and as this difficulty would arise in consequence of being named as one of the twelve (Ephraim and Manasseh being merged into one, under the head of Joseph), Levi could not be between them; to which they answer, that the elders, the priests, and the Levites, were below, and the remainder above; or as R. Josaya says, all who were fit for duty, as those from thirty to fifty years of age, were below with the ark, and the remainder were above. The other opinion is that of Ribi, who holds that all were between the two mounts, as is said in Joshua, " And all Israel and their elders, and officers and their judges, were on this side the ark, and on that side," &c.; he therefore maintains that its saying, "To bless the people upon Mount Gerizim," should not be translated "upon," but "near," as the adverb by is often so used, as "And near him the tribe of Manasseh, and the like in many other places, so that the meaning here is not upon, but near the mount. ,ועליו מטה מנשה 1 Sota, c. 7. 2 Deut. 28:1. 3 Deut. 27: 14. 4 C. 7. 5 Numb. 2:20. Presuming this to be the case, and proceeding to solve the contradictions, it appears from one passage that they were to be upon the mount, and from the other that they stood at its base: if the former was to be the rule, it would result that the six tribes on the Mount Gerizim were to be all children of Leah and Rachel, and those on Mount Ebal the eldest and youngest tribe descended from the former, with those born of the handmaids, and the Levites between them; and according to Don Isaac Abarbanel, what is stated in Joshua of all having been below, does not allude to the share they had in delivering the blessings and curses, but only refers to their being spread upon, and at the base of the mounts, on account of their multitude. Or better still, according to R. Samuel Laniado and R. Aaron aben Haim,' saying they were in front of the mount is not contradictory to Moses' injunction; for those in Mount Gerizim faced those on Mount Ebal, and thus they were in front of each other. Or if we adopt the second opinion, that all were below, there would likewise be no contradiction, for the adverb by admits the interpretation of "near," and "by," as well as " upon." The second variation found in Joshua, consists in no mention being made of the maledictions, and is accounted for by the intention then being only to bless the people, and not to pronounce the curses, as the blessing only is there alluded to as delivered "at first" (87), which term carries with it the assurance that the blessings had precedence, and that something followed, which must have been the maledictions. The third variation, as to Joshua himself reading the blessings and curses, the fact would appear, that it was the Levites who read them, as may be inferred, from the text itself saying, "And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, were on this side of the ark, and on that side, before the priests, the Levites, who bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them, half of them opposite to Mount Gerizim, and half of them opposite to Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded, to bless the people of Israel at first." Where the word, "to bless," refers to the Levites lastly named in the verse; and what is subsequently said that Joshua read, alludes to those contained in the xxix. and xxx. of Deuteronomy, together with the precepts of the law, as it says, "There was not a word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua read not:" and this conciliates the verses. For the further elucidation of the subject, it must be observed, that the most probable solution is that the act was thus performed: six tribes, namely, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin, were placed upon Mount Gerizim; and the other six tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, were on Mount Ebal, and those of the Levites (from thirty to fifty years of age) who were fit for duty, were stationed with the ark between them; being in this position, they turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim, saying, "Blessed be the man who shall not make any graven or molten image," &c., and so consecutively through the whole eleven denunciations, beginning with "cursed," which they negatively pronounced in the benedictional form; on ending one of these, they turned their faces towards Mount Ebal, and said, the precise words stated, "Cursed be he who maketh any graven image," &c., proceeding in this way, alternately turning their faces towards Gerizim and Ebal. On concluding these, they continued delivering the words of the following chapter in Deuteronomy in the same way, addressing the therein recited blessings to those on Mount Gerizim, and the curses to those on Mount Ebal, and which is what Moses commanded; but besides this, Joshua, in order to exhort the people to the sincere love of God, read all the other blessings, curses, and precepts, contained in the whole law. This is what appears most reconcileable to the texts, and suffices to answer the questions. QUESTION 185. Deut. 31:21. This song shall testify before them as a witness, for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouth of their seed.. 2 Kings, 22:8. And Hilkiah, the high priest, said unto Shaphan, the scribe, I have found the book of the Law in the house of the Lord, &c. (see 2 Chron. 33:14). Where, according to the first passage, the Lord foretold that the law should now be forgotten by the seed of Israel, how does the other say that when Hilkiah found a book of the law, and had carried it to Josiah the king, the latter was greatly astonished, and hearing it read, tore his clothes, as if he then learnt something new? Likewise in Nehemiah's time, the people had so far forgotten it as to traffic on the Sabbath day; and on hearing the precepts respecting tabernacles, and that an Ammonite or a Moabite might not enter the congregation of the Lord, they were surprized and astonished; all which indicates ignorance or oblivion of the law. The texts being thus contradictory, in what manner are they to be conciliated? RECONCILIATION. The promise made to Israel by the Lord was, that his law should be eternally observed, by being in their mouth, as Isaiah says, "As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." The text in 2 Kings, therefore, cannot infer the contrary, for we know, in the first place, that Hezekiah was so pious and upright, that he sent messengers throughout Israel with letters, in which he exhorted and even commanded them to return to the God of their fathers; from which time until the period when Hilkiah found the book of the law, little more than seventy years had elapsed, in which it can hardly be supposed that they had so entirely forgotten the law that the finding a book of it was remarkable; and when they were likewise so learned in the days of Hezekiah, that the ancients say, even the children, from Dan to Beersheba, were acquainted with the most difficult passages of the law. The apparent contradiction is thus so completely untenable, that we must conclude, in accordance with the ancient Sages, that it was nothing new to Josiah to see a book of the law, neither was he astonished at hearing what it contained; but the fact was, as stated in the Guemara,2 that the iniquitous and impious king Manasseh, wherever he found the Divine Tetragrammatonic name written, erased it, and inserted an ethnic one in its place, which being seen by |