formerly accepted the covenant o f the children of Is r a e l , and we appointed
out of them twelve leaders : and G o d faid, Verily I am with you ‘ : if V(.
obferve prayer, and give alms, and believe in my apoftles, and a f f i f t t h e m -
and lend unto G o d on good ufury *, I will furely expiate your evil deeds from-
you, and I will lead you into gardens, wherein rivers flow : but he a m o n g ,
you who disbelieveth after this, erreth from the ftrait path. Wherefore- b e -
caufe they have broken their covenant, we have curfed them, and h a r d e n e d
their hearts ; they diflocate the words of the pentateuch from their places, and
have forgotten part of what they were admonilhed; and thou wilt not c e a f e t o
difcover deceitful practices among them, except a few of them. B u t f p r g i v e
them', and pardon them, for G o d loveth the beneficent. And from t h o f e
who fay, We are Chriftians, we have received their covenant ; but they h a v e
forgotten part o f what they were admonifhed ; wherefore we have r a i l e d u p
enmity and hatred among them, till the day of refurreftion ; and G o d w i l l them
furely declare unto them what they have been doing. O ye who have received
the feriptures, now is our apoftle come unto you, to m a k e manifeft u n t o
you many things which ye concealed in the feriptures'1 ; and to pafs over1
m a n y
commentators tell' feveral'llories as the occafion
of this palTage. One fays, that Mohammed and
fome of his followers being at Osfdn (a place^not
far from Mecca, in the way to Medina) and performing
their noon devotions, a company of i-
dolaters, who were in view, repented they had
not taken that opportunity- of attacking them,
and .therefore waited till the hour of evening
prayer, intending to fall upon them then : but
G od defeated their defign, by. revealing the
verfe offear. Another relates, that the prophet
going to the tribe of Koreidha (who were Jews)
to levy a fine for 'the blood of two Mojlems, who
had been killed by miftake, by Amru Ebti Om-
meya al Dimri, they defired him to fit down and
cat with them, and they would pay the fine »
Mohammed complying with their requeft, while
he was fitting, they laid a defign againft his life,
one Amru Ebn JabaJb undertaking to throw a
riiill-ftone upon him j but G od with-held his
hand, and Gabriel immediately defeended to ac-
quaint the prophet with their treachery, upon
Which he rofe up and went his way. A third
ftory is, that Mohammed having hung up his
arms on a tree, under which he was refting him-
felf, and his companions being difperfed fome
diftance from him, an Arab of the defart came
up to him,, and drew his fwordj faying, Who
hindreth me from killing tbee r To which Mo-'
bammed answered, G o d : and Gabriel beating
the fword outiof thz Arab's hand, Mdhammed
took it up, and asked him the fame qi^ftion,
Who hinders me from killing thee ? the Arab replied,
Nobody', and immediately profefled Mo-
hammedifm 1. Abulfeda 2 tells the fame ftory,
with fome variation of circumftances.
a God appointed them twelve leaders, and/aid,
Verily 1 am with you, &c.] After the Ij'raelites had
efcaped from Pharaoh, God ordered them to go
againft Jericho, which was then inhabited by
giants, of the race of the Canaanites, promifmg
to give it into their hands j and Mofes, by the
divine direction, .appointed a prince or captain
over each tribe, to lead them in that expedition
3, and when they came to the borders of the
land of Canaan* fent the captains as fpies to get
information of the Hate of the country, injoining
them fecrecy; but they being terrified at the
prodigious fize and ftrength of the inhabitants,
difheartned the people by publickly telling what
t-hey had feen, except only Caleb the fon of
Yufanna (Jephunnehf and Jofhtia the fon of////»4.
b And lend unto God on good ufuryi] By contributing
towards this holy war.
c Forgive them, and pardon them s] That is,
i f they repent and believe, or fubmit to pay tribute.
Some however think thefe words are abrogated
by the verfe of thefwerd1.
J Yo make manifeft unto you many, things which
ye concealed'in the feriptures;] Such as the verfe
of ftoning adulterers 6, the defeription of Mi-
hammed, and Cbrift's -prophecy of him by the
name of Ahmed7.
* And i to pafs. over many things;] i. e. Thofe
which it-w.as not necelTary to reftore,
3 See Ndmb.i: 4, c . *■ A l B e i d a w i ..
6 See.Chap. $.p. 37.. ? .^/Beidawi.
1 Al Beidawi.
tee Numb. xiii> and xiv.
Vit. Mdh. P- 73'
1 Al Beidawi.
I
a n y things. N o w i s . l i g h t a n d , a p e r f p i c u o u s b o o k ' of revelations c o m e u n t o y o u
f r o r n G o d . T h e r e b y w i l l G o d d i r e f l h i m w h o ( b a l l - f o l l o w h i s g o o d p l e a f u r e , i n t o
t h e p a t h s o f p e a c e ; a n d f h a l l l e a d t h e m o u t o f d a r k n e f s i n t o l i g h t , b y h i s
« i l l a n d f h a l l d i r e f t t h e m i n t h e r i g h t w a y . T h e y a r e i n f i d e l s , w h o f a y ,
V e r i l y G o d i s C h r i s t t h e f o n o f M a r y . , S a y u n t o t h e m , A n d w h o c o u l d
o b t a i n a n y t h i n g f r o m G o d to the contrary, i f h e p l e a f e d t o d e f t r o y C h r i s t
t h e f o n o f M a r y , a n d h i s m o t h e r , a n d a l l t h o f e w h o a r e o n t h e e a r t h ? F o r
u n t o G o d belongeth t h e k i n g d o m . o f h e a v e n a n d e a r t h , a n d w h a t f o e v e r is con-
tained b e t w e e n t h e m h e c r e a t e t h w h a t h e p l e a f e t h , a n d G o d i s a l m i g h t y .
T h e J e w s a n d t h e C h r i f t i a n s f a y , ' W e a r e t h e c h i l d r e n o f G o d , a n d h i s b e l o v e
d . A n f w e r , W h y t h e r e f o r e d o t h h e p u n i f h y o u f o r y o u r f i n s ? N a y , b u t y e
a r e m e n , - o f t h o f e w h o m h e h a t h c r e a t e d . H e f o r g i v e t h w h o m h e p l e a f e t h ,
a n d p u n i f h e t h w h o m h e p l e a f e t h a n d u n t o G o d belongeth t h e k i n g d o m o f
h e a v e n a n d e a r t h , a n d o f w h a t is contained b e t w e e n t h e m b o t h ; a n d u n t o
h i m f h a l l all things r e t u r n . O y e w h o h a v e r e c e i v e d t h e f e r i p t u r e s , n o w is-
o u r a p o f t l e c o m e u n t o . y o u , d e c l a r i n g u n t o , y o u the true religion, d u r i n g t h e
ceffation o f a p o f t l e s % l e f t y e f h o u l d f a y , T h e r e c a m e u n t o u s n o b e a r e r o f
„ o o d t i d i n g s , n o r a n y W a r n e r : b u t n o w i s a b e a r e r o f g o o d t i d i n g s , a n d a
E a r n e r c o m e . - u n t o y o u ; a n d G o d i s a l m i g h t y . Call to. mind w h e n M o s e s .
f a i d u n t o h i s p e o p l e , O m y p e o p l e , r e m e m b e r t h e f a v o u r o f G o d t o w a r d s y o u ;
f i n c e h e h a t h a p p o i n t e d p r o p h e t s a m o n g y o u , a n d - c o n f t i t u t e d y o u k i n g s V a n d
b e f t o 'w e d o n y o u w h a t h e h a t h g i v e n t o n o other nation i n t h e w o r l d c . O m y
p e o p l e , e n t e r t h e h o l y l a n d , w h i c h G o d h a t h d e c r e e d y o u , a n d t u r n n o t y o u r
b a c k s , l e f t y e b e f u b v e r t e d a n d p e r i f h . T h e y a n f w e r e d , O M o s e s , v e r i l y
t h e r e a r e a g i g a n t i c p e o p l e i n t h e land s a n d w e w i l l b y n o m e a n s e n t e r i t ,
u n t i l t h e y d e p a r t t h e n c e ; b u t i f t h e y d e p a r t t h e n c e , t h e n w i l l w e e r i t e r therein.
And t w o m e n ' o f t h o f e w h o f e a r e d G od , u n t o w h o m G o d h a d b e e n g r a c i o u s ,
f a i d , E n t e r y e u p o n t h e m fuddenly by t h e g a t e of the city ; a n d w h e n y e f h a l l
h a v e e n t r e d t h e f a m e , y e f h a l l f u r e l y b e v i f t o r i o u s : t h e r e f o r e t r u f t i n G o d ,
i f y e a r e t r u e b e l i e v e r s . T h e y r e p l i e d , O M o s e s , w e w i l l n e v e r e n t e r the
land, w h i l e t h e y r e m a i n t h e r e i n : g o t h e r e f o r e t h o u , a n d t h y L o r d , a n d f i g h t ;
f o r w e w i l l f i t h e r e . M o s e s f a i d , O L o r d , f u r e l y I a m n o t m a f t e r o f a n y
e x c e p t m y f e l f , a n d m y b r o t h e r ; t h e r e f o r e m a k e a d i f t i n f t i o n b e t w e e n u s a n d ' t h e
u n g o d l y p e o p l e . Goo a n f w e r e d , V e r i l y t h e land f h a l l b e f o r b i d d e n t h e m f o r t y -
y e a r s ; during which time t h e y f h a l l w a n d e r like men. afionijhed i n d i e e a r t h f ;
t h e r e -
8 During the cejf.ition of apoftlcs i j The Arabic
word al Tatra fignifies the intermediate fpace of
time between two prophets, during which no
new revelation or difpenfation was given; as the
interval between Mofes and J e s u s , and between
Jesus and Mohammed,at the expiration of which
lail, Mohamme.i pretepded to befent.
_8 And conftituted you kings ;] This was fulfilled
either by G od’s giving them a kingdom, and
along feries of princes; or by his having made
mem iings-ot m often of themfelves, by deliver-
mg them from the Egyptian bondage.
8 And heft owed on you what he bach given to no
other nation;] Havihg divided the red fea fo-r
you, and guided you by a cloud, and fed you
With quails and manna, & c .1
* A gigantic people jJ The largeft of thefe giants,
the commentators fay, was Og the fon of
Anak ; -concerning whofe enormous ftature, his
efcaping the flood, and the manner o f his being
flain by Mofes, the Mohammedans relate feveral
abfurd fables *.
' Two men;] Namely, Caleb, and JpJbua.
f The land Jhall be forbidden them forty yearsi
during which they fhall wander in the earth like
men
1 -4/Bsidawi. 1 V. Marracc, in AUor.p. 231, iAt. D’Hbrbbl. Biol. Orient p. 336.