_Five_, as usual, here comes into consideration as the half of _ten_, which number represents the whole; "_five_ cities," therefore, is equivalent to: a goodly number of cities. On the words: "Who speak the language of Canaan," _Gesenius_ remarks: "With the spreading of a certain religion resting on certain documents of revelation, as _e.g._ the Jewish religion, the knowledge of their language, too, must be connected." We must not, of course, limit the thought to this, that Hebrew was learned wherever the religion of Jehovah spread. When viewed more deeply, the language of Canaan is spoken by all those who are converted to the true God. Upon the Greek language, _e.g._ the character of the language of Canaan has been impressed in the New Testament. That language which, from primeval times, has been developed in the service of the Spirit, imparts its character to the languages of the world, and changes their character in their deepest foundation.--"To swear to the Lord" is to do Him homage; Michaelis: _Juramento se Domino obstringent_; comp. chap. xlv. 23: "Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." In the words: "City of destruction," הרס, one shall be called, there is contained an allusion to קיר הרס, "_city of the Sun_" (Heliopolis) which was peculiar to one of the chief seats of Egyptian idolatry. It is the celebrated _On_ or _Bethshemish_ of which Jeremiah prophesies in chap. xliii. 13: "And he (Nebuchadnezzar) breaketh the pillars in Beth-shemish, that is in the land of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of Egypt he burneth with fire." This allusion was perceived as early as by _Jonathan_, who thus paraphrases: "_Urbs domus solis quae destruetur._" By this allusion it is intimated that salvation cannot be bestowed upon the Gentile world in the state in which it is; that punitive justice must prepare the way for salvation: that everywhere the destructive activity of God must precede that which builds up; that the way to the Kingdom of God passes through the fire of tribulation which must consume every thing that is opposed to God; compare that which Micah, even in reference to the covenant-people, says regarding the necessity of taking, before giving can have place, vol. i., p. 517. [Pg 144] Ver. 19. "_In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord._"