solemn oath
to preserve them, contrary to his commission to extirpate all the
Canaanites, root and branch; which oath he and the other rulers never
durst break. See Scripture Politics, p. 55, 56; and this snare they
were brought into because they "did not ask counsel at the mouth of the
Lord," Joshua 9:14.

[36] Since Josephus assures us here, as is most naturally to be
supposed, and as the Septuagint gives the text, Deuteronomy 33:6, that
Moses blessed every one of the tribes of Israel, it is evident that
Simeon was not omitted in his copy, as it unhappily now is, both in our
Hebrew and Samaritan copies.

BOOK 5 FOOTNOTES

[1] The Amorites were one of the seven nations of Canaan. Hence Reland
is willing to suppose that Josephus did not here mean that their land
beyond Jordan was a seventh part of the whole land of Canaan, but meant
the Arnorites as a seventh nation. His reason is, that Josephus, as well
as our Bible, generally distinguish the land beyond Jordan from the
land of Canaan; nor can it be denied, that in strictness they were all
forgot: yet after two tribes and a half of the twelve tribes came to
inherit it, it might in a general way altogether be well included under
the land of Canaan, or Palestine, or Judea, of which we have a clear
example here before us in Josephus, whose words evidently imply, that
taking the whole land of Canaan, or that inhabited by all the twelve
tribes together, and parting it into seven parts, the part beyond Jordan
was in quantity of ground one seventh part of the whole. And this well
enough agrees to Reland's own map of that country, although this land
beyond Jordan was so peculiarly fruitful, and good for pasturage, as
the two tribes and a half took notice, Numbers 32:1, 4, 16, that it
maintained about a fifth part of the whole people.

[2] It plainly appears by the history of these spies, and the innkeeper
Rahab's deception of the king of Jericho's messengers, by telling them
what was false in order to save the lives of the spies, and yet the
great commendation of her faith and good works in the New Testament,
Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25, as well as by many other parallel examples,
both in the Old Testament and in Josephus, that the best men did
not then scruple to deceive those public enemies who might justly be
destroyed; as also might deceive ill men in order to save life, and
deliver themselves from the tyranny of their unjust oppressors, and
this by telling dire