Deuteronomy 27-28 Star Chart: Clockwise from "the day when ye (Orion) shall pass over Jordan (Eridanus) unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee ... thou shalt set thee up great (lunar) stones, and (crescent) plaister them with plaister" (27:2) in 1406 B.C. till "The Lord shall cause thee (Orion) to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one (red radius line) way against them, and flee seven (red radius line) ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth" (28:25) in 745 B.C. which is 661° years later (one lap plus 301° years), 718 B.C. which is 688° years later (one lap plus 328°), 677 B.C. which is 729° years later (two laps plus 9°), 604 B.C. which is 802° years later (two laps plus 82°), 597 B.C. which is 809° years later (two laps plus 89°), 586 B.C. which is 820° years later (two laps plus 100°) and "The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou ... shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth" (28:25) in 70 A.D. which is 1475° years later or four laps plus 35° years more.

Blessing and Cursing on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal

27:1 And Moses (Orion) with the (Gemini and Auriga) elders of Israel commanded the (Gemini) people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.

2 And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan (Eridanus) unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great (lunar) stones, and (white crescent) plaister them with plaister:

3 And thou shalt (red radius pen) write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with (lunar) milk and (solar) honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

4 Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan (Eridanus), that ye shall set up these (lunar) stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal (Evil), and thou shalt plaister them with plaister.

5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of (lunar) stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.

6 Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole (lunar) stones: and thou shalt offer (solar) burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God:

7 And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God.

8 And thou shalt (red radius pen) write upon the (lunar) stones all the words of this law very plainly.

9 And Moses (Orion) and the (Gemini) priests the Levites (red radius line) spake unto all (Gemini and Milky Way) Israel, saying, Take heed, and (lunar crescent ear) hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the (Gemini) people of the Lord thy God.

10 Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day (1406 B.C.).

11 And Moses (Orion) charged the (Gemini and Milky Way) people the same day, saying,

12 These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the (Gemini) people, when ye are come over Jordan (Eridanus); Simeon (Gemini), and Levi (Libra), and Judah (Leo), and Issachar (Cancer), and Joseph (Taurus), and Benjamin (Aries):

13 And these shall stand upon mount Ebal (Evil) to curse; Reuben (Aquarius), Gad (Sagittarius), and Asher (Capricorn), and Zebulun (Pisces), Dan (Scorpio), and Naphtali (Virgo).

14 And the (Gemini) Levites shall speak, and say unto all the (Gemini) men of Israel with a loud voice,

15 Cursed be the man that maketh any (lunar) graven or (solar) molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the (Gemini) people shall answer and say, Amen.

16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the (Gemini) people shall say, Amen.

17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's (lunar or solar) landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

18 Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.

19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

20 Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen.

21 Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

22 Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

23 Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

24 Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

28:1 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 which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one (red radius line) way, and flee before thee seven (red radius line) ways (745, 718, 677, 604, 597, 586, 70).

8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.

10 And all (Gemini) people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.

11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy (Gemini) fathers to give thee.

12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy (Taurus) kine, and the flocks of thy (Aries) sheep.

19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

20 The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

21 The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it (1406 B.C.).

22 The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be (solar) brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be (lunar) iron.

24 The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

24. The Sirocco (Sheriyeh), as the present writer has more than once encountered it in Judaea, brings up a fog of dust as dense and fine as a sea-mist, but very destructive. Until thou be destroyed, see Deuteronomy 28:20.

25 The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one (red radius line) way against them, and flee seven (red radius line) ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth (745 B.C.).

26 And thy (Cetus) carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

27 The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

28 The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an (red radius) house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.

31 Thine (Taurus) ox shall be slain before thine eyes (718 B.C.), and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy (Aries) sheep shall be given unto thine (Gemini) enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.

32 Thy (Gemini) sons and thy (Gemini) daughters shall be given unto another people (677 B.C.), and thine (lunar) eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand.

33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway (604 B.C.):

This was remarkably fulfilled when Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came and dispossessed the ten tribes, and when Nebuchadnezzar carried the other two tribes away, and placed other people in their room.

34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

35 The Lord shall smite thee (Ursa Major and Leo) in the knees, and in the legs (604 B.C.), with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

36 The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known (597 B.C.); and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

This was partly fulfilled when Jehoiachin was carried captive to Babylon, with his mother, wives, officers, and the mighty of the land, 2 Kings 24:15; and afterward Zedekiah, 2 Kings 25:7; Jeremiah 52:11. For the Assyrians were a people, though not quite unknown to the Jews, in Moses’s time, yet with whom they had but little intercourse. But it was more especially accomplished in their last dispersion by the Romans, a nation which neither they nor their fathers knew. There thou shalt serve other gods, wood and stone — So that what formerly was their choice and delight should now become their plague and misery. And this, doubtless, was the condition of many Israelites under the Assyrian and Babylonish captivities, being either influenced by the example and counsels of their conquerors, or compelled by their tyranny to practise this idolatry. And Bishop Newton on this passage proves, by authentic testimonies, that “it has been common for Jews in Popish countries to comply with the idolatrous worship of the Church of Rome, and to bow down to stocks and stones, rather than that their effects should be seized and confiscated.”

37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee.

“And do we not hear and see this prophecy fulfilled almost every day? Is not the avarice, usury, and hard-heartedness of a Jew grown proverbial? And are not their persons generally odious among all sorts of people? Mohammedans, heathens, and Christians, however they may disagree in other points, yet generally agree in vilifying, abusing, and persecuting the Jews. In most places where they are tolerated, they are obliged to live in a separate quarter by themselves, (as they did in London in the Old Jewry,) and to wear some badge of distinction. Their very countenances commonly distinguish them from the rest of mankind. They are in all respects treated as if they were of another species.” — Bishop Newton.

38 Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.

39 Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.

40 Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.

41 Thou shalt beget (Coma) sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity (586 B.C.).

42 All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.

43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high (Orion); and thou shalt come down very low (Virgo).

44 He shall lend (solar gold) to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head (Orion, Auriga), and thou shalt be the tail (Ursa Minor, Drago, Ursa Major, Centaur).

45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:

Here some critics have made a division of these prophecies, and have interpreted the preceding part as relating to the former captivity of the Jews, and the calamities which they suffered under the Chaldeans; and the remaining part as referring to their latter captivity, and the calamities which they suffered under the Romans. But “there is no need,” says Bishop Newton, “of any such distinction; there is no reason to think any such was intended by the author; several prophecies of the one part, as well as of the other, have been fulfilled at both periods; but they have all been more amply fulfilling during the latter period; and there cannot be a more lively picture than they exhibit of the state of the Jews at present.” Indeed, the present deplorable state of the Jewish nation so exactly answers these predictions, that it is an incontestable proof of the truth of the prophecy, and consequently of the divine authority of the Scriptures. And their destruction by the Romans, far more dreadful than the former, shows that their sin in rejecting Christ was more provoking to God than idolatry itself, and left them more under the power of Satan. For their captivity in Babylon cured them effectually of idolatry in seventy years. But under this last destruction they continue above eighteen hundred years incurably averse to their own Messiah, the Lord that bought them.

46 And they shall be upon thee for a (Zodiac) sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.

47 Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;

48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine (Gemini) enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a (lunar crescent) yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

49 The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle (Corvus) flieth (70 A.D.); a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

The description (compare the marginal references) applies undoubtedly to the Chaldeans, and in a degree to other nations also whom God raised up as ministers of vengeance upon apostate Israel (e. g. the Medes). But it only needs to read this part of the denunciation, and to compare it with the narrative of Josephus, to see that its full and exact accomplishment took place in the wars of Vespasian and Titus against the Jews, as indeed the Jews themselves generally admit.

The eagle - The Roman ensign; compare Matthew 24:28; and consult throughout this passage the marginal references.

“The Chaldeans might be said to come from far, in comparison of the Moabites, Philistines, and other neighbouring nations, which used to infest Judea.” See Jeremiah 5:15; Jeremiah 6:22. And they are represented as pursuing them with the swiftness of eagles, Lamentations 4:19. But the Romans, no doubt, were chiefly intended. “They were truly brought ‘from far, from the end of the earth;’ Vespasian and Adrian, the two great conquerors and destroyers of the Jews, both coming from commanding here in Britain. The Romans too, from the rapidity of their conquests, might very well be compared to eagles, and perhaps not without an allusion to the standard of the Roman armies, which was an eagle, and their language was more unknown to the Jews than the Chaldee.” — Bishop Newton.

whose tongue thou shalt not understand] Lit. hear; Jeremiah 5:15 of Babylonians, cp. Isaiah 28:11 of Assyrians (and Deuteronomy 33:9).

50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:

Such were the Chaldeans, who, according to the historian, “slew the young men” of the Jews “in the house of the sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man or him that stooped for age.” Such also were the Romans, who, Josephus says, when they entered Gadera, showed mercy to no age, out of hatred to the nation, and remembrance of former injuries. They made the like slaughter at Gamala, “not so much as sparing young children, but every one, snatching up many, cast them down from the citadel.”

51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy (Taurus) cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy (Aries) sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy (golden solar) gates, until thy high and (red radius) fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee (70 A.D.).

Thus did Shalmaneser, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar. See 2 Kings 18:9-10; 2 Kings 18:13, and 2 Kings 25:10. But this prediction was especially fulfilled by the Romans, to whom the best fortified places in Judea were forced to yield, as may be seen in Josephus’s History of the Jewish war, which is the best commentary on this part of the prophecy. And the Jews might well be said to trust in their high and fenced walls; for they seldom ventured to fight in the open field. In particular, they confided in the strength and situation of Jerusalem, as the Jebusites, the former inhabitants of the place, had done before them, 2 Samuel 5:6-7.

More recently, China has taken over strategic trade choke points and shipping facilities in Latin America and Mexico. There Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., the huge Chinese shipping conglomerate (which also controls the ports on both ends of the Panama Canal) controls several major ports, including two ports in Ensenada as well as those in Manzanillo, Veracruz and Michoacan. Mexico's ports regulate a large proportion of goods that flow into the U.S. China had taken control of vital sea gates through which resources must travel into the U.S. -- the Panama Canal and Freeport, Bahamas. The Caribbean is now controlled by Chinese shipping. So is the South China Sea via the Spratly Islands. China is establishing a huge deep-water port in Gwadar, Pakistan, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. There is coming a time when America will be blockaded by its former trade partners: "They shall besiege you in all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you in all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you" (Deut. 28:52).

53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy (Coma) sons and of thy (Coma) daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege (70 A.D.), and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

This prediction was repeatedly fulfilled, especially when Vespasian and his son Titus begirt Jerusalem so closely that the besieged were reduced to a most grievous famine, which forced them, after they had eaten up their horses and other creatures, to eat even their own children, whom parents, who had used to live delicately, Moses here foretels, should themselves eat up privately, and let none share with them.

54 So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the (Virgo) wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his (Coma) children which he shall leave:

55 So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his (Coma) children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine (Gemini) enemies shall distress thee in all thy (solar golden) gates.

Accordingly Josephus informs us that wives forced away the meat out of the very mouths of their husbands, children of their parents, and, what was yet more unnatural, mothers of their infants, taking away from them, as they lay languishing in their arms, the very last support of life. Nay, he tells us that “in every house, if there appeared any semblance of food, a battle ensued, and the dearest friends and relations fought with one another, snatching away the miserable provisions of life.” So, literally, were the words of Moses fulfilled! — Bel. Jud., lib. 5. cap. 10, sect. 3; and lib. 6. cap. 3, sect. 3.

56 The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her (lunar) eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her (Coma) son, and toward her (Coma) daughter,

57 And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them (Coma) for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates (70 A.D.).

This was fulfilled about six hundred years after the time of Moses, among the Israelites, when Samaria was besieged by the king of Syria, and two women agreed together, the one to give up her son to be boiled and eaten that day, and the other to deliver up her son to be dressed and eaten the next, and one of them was eaten accordingly, 2 Kings 6:28. It was fulfilled again about nine hundred years after Moses, in the siege of Jerusalem, before the Babylonish captivity, Bar 2:1-3; Lamentations 4:10. And again it was fulfilled above one thousand five hundred years after Moses, in the last siege of Jerusalem by Titus; Josephus informing us particularly of a noble woman’s killing and eating her own sucking child; and she did it, as Moses says she should do it, secretly; for, according to Josephus, when she had boiled and eaten half, she covered up the rest, and kept it for another time. At so many different times, and distant periods, hath this prophecy been fulfilled, to the perpetual reproach of the Jewish nation; for never was the like done, either by Greek or barbarian. See the fruit of being abandoned of God! Nothing is too barbarous for such to do.

58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God;

59 Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.

61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.

63 And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it (70 A.D.).

This was fulfilled when the king of Assyria carried the ten tribes into captivity, and planted other nations in their stead; and when the king of Babylon carried away the other two tribes; and especially when the Romans took away their place and nation, not to mention other captivities and transportations of them. “Afterward, when the Emperor Adrian had subdued the rebellious Jews, he published an edict, forbidding them, upon pain of death, to set foot in Jerusalem, or even to approach the country round about. Tertullian and Jerome say, they were prohibited from entering Judea. From that time to this their country hath been in the possession of foreign lords and masters, few of the Jews dwelling in it, and those only of a low, servile condition.”

64 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even (solar) wood and (lunar) stone.

According to Nehemiah, (Nehemiah 1:8-9,) these words were fulfilled in the Babylonish captivity; but they have been far more amply fulfilled since the great dispersion of the Jews by the Romans. “What people have been scattered so far and wide as they? And where is the nation that is a stranger to them, or to which they are strangers? They swarm in many parts of the East, are spread through most of the countries of Europe and Africa, and there are several families of them in the West Indies. They circulate through all parts, and are, as one may say, the brokers of the whole world.” — Bp. Newton.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a (lunar) trembling heart, and failing of (lunar) eyes, and sorrow of mind:

66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the (lunar) sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

68 And the Lord shall bring thee into Egypt again with (Argo) ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for (crescent yoke) bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

This denunciation was literally fulfilled on more than one occasion: most signally when many thousand Jews were sold into slavery and sent into Egypt by Titus; but also under Hadrian, when numbers were sold at Rachel's grave Genesis 35:19.

No man shall buy you - i. e. no one shall venture even to employ you as slaves, regarding you as accursed of God, and to be shunned in everything.

Which was literally fulfilled under Titus, when multitudes of them were carried thither and sold for slaves. With ships — This expression seems to be intended to remind them of that time when they went over the sea without ships, God miraculously drying up the sea before them, a time which now they would have occasion sadly to remember. By the way whereof — That is, to which place or part of the world, namely Egypt; I spake unto thee, thou shalt see it no more again — Referring to what he had said, Deuteronomy 17:16. This is also well illustrated by the bishop. “They had come out of Egypt triumphant, but now they should return thither as slaves. They had walked through the sea as dry land at their coming out, but now they should be carried thither in ships. They might be carried thither in the ships of the Tyrian or Sidonian merchants, or by the Romans, who had a fleet in the Mediterranean, and this was a much safer way of conveying so many prisoners than sending them by land. It appears from Josephus, that in the reigns of the first two Ptolemies many of the Jews were slaves in Egypt. And when Jerusalem was taken by Titus, of the captives who, as we have observed on Deuteronomy 28:62, were sent into Egypt, those under seventeen were sold: but so little care was taken of these captives, that eleven thousand of them perished for want. The markets were overstocked with them, so that Josephus says, in another place, they were sold with their wives and children at the lowest price, there being many to be sold, but few purchasers.” And we learn from St. Jerome, “that after their last overthrow by Adrian, many thousands of them were sold, and those who could not be sold were transported into Egypt, and perished by shipwreck or famine, or were massacred by the inhabitants.” Hegesipus also says, “There were many captives offered for sale, but few buyers, because the Romans disdained to take the Jews for slaves; and there were not Jews remaining to redeem their countrymen.”