John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim , etc.] The Targum calls him a prophet f23 ; and the Jewish commentators in general interpret it of Phinehas f24 ; and that a man is meant is given into by others, because he is said to come from a certain place in Canaan, and not from heaven, and spoke in a public congregation, and is not said to disappear; but neither a man nor a created angel is meant, or otherwise he would have spoken in the name of the Lord, and have said, “thus saith the Lord”, and not in his own name; ascribing to himself the bringing of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and swearing to them, and making a covenant with them, and threatening what he would do to them because of their sin; wherefore the uncreated Angel, the Angel of the covenant, is meant, who brought Israel out of Egypt, was with them in the wilderness, and introduced them into the land of Canaan, and appeared to Joshua as the Captain of the Lord’s host at or near Gilgal, ( Joshua 5:13,14); and because he had not appeared since, therefore he is said to come from thence to a place afterwards called Bochim, from what happened at this time: and said, I made you to go out of Egypt ; that is, obliged Pharaoh king of Egypt to let them go, by inflicting plagues upon him and his people, which made them urgent upon them to depart: and I have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers ; into the land of Canaan, now for the most part conquered, and divided among them, and in which they were settled: and I said, I will never break my covenant with you ; if the covenant between them was broken, it should not begin with him, it would be their own fault; all which is mentioned, as so many instances of divine goodness to them, and as so many aggravations of their sins against God.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - It was the great Angel of the covenant, the Word, the Son of God, wh spake with Divine authority as Jehovah, and now called them to accoun for their disobedience. God sets forth what he had done for Israel, an what he had promised. Those who throw off communion with God, and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, know not what they d now, and will have nothing to say for themselves in the day of accoun shortly. They must expect to suffer for this their folly. Those deceiv themselves who expect advantages from friendship with God's enemies God often makes men's sin their punishment; and thorns and snares ar in the way of the froward, who will walk contrary to God. The people wept, crying out against their own folly and ingratitude. They tremble at the word, and not without cause. It is a wonder sinners can eve read the Bible with dry eyes. Had they kept close to God and their duty, no voice but that of singing had been heard in their congregation; but by their sin and folly they made other work for themselves, and nothing is to be heard but the voice of weeping. The worship of God, in its own nature, is joy, praise, and thanksgiving our sins alone render weeping needful. It is pleasing to see men wee for their sins; but our tears, prayers, and even amendment, cannot atone for sin.
Original Hebrew ויעל5927 מלאך4397 יהוה3068 מן4480 הגלגל1537 אל413 הבכים1066 ויאמר559 אעלה5927 אתכם853 ממצרים4714 ואביא935 אתכם853 אל413 הארץ776 אשׁר834 נשׁבעתי7650 לאבתיכם1 ואמר559 לא3808 אפר6565 בריתי1285 אתכם854 לעולם׃5769
