Commentary on the Holy Bible

1. •' out or Jbgypt,- tor it was not leavened; /, of Egypt. Ahibur ^t.~im. jjgpg^jgg "they were tlirust out of 42 li is "anigiif^ to be much ob Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they 'served unto the Lord, for bringing them out prepared for tlicmselves any A-ictual. i| from the land of Egypt: this i.v tiiat night of

40 % Now the sojourning of the children of. the Lord, to be observed ot' all the chiklrcn of Lsracl, who dwelt in Egypt, xcas "^ four hundred 1 Israel in their generations.

41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, e\'en the selt-same day

authority of God to do what he did; and the people had, at least, such a general conviction that lie had this authority, that they imphcitly followed his directions, and received their law from his moutl'..

Verse 40. Now the snjournhiQ; of llie children of Israel, kc] Tile statement in this verse is aliowtd on all hands to be extremely diilicuit; and therefort; the passage stands in especial need ot' illustration. " That the descendants of Israel did not dwell 4-30 years in Egypt," says Dr. Kennicott, " may be easily proved; and has often been demonstrated. ' Some therefore imagine, that by Ei^ypt here, botli it and Canaan are to be \uider?tood. But this greater latitude of [jlace will not solve the difficulty; since the Israelites, inelu ling' Israel their father, did not sojourn 430 years in both countries previous to their departure from Ej^ypt. Others, sensible of die still remaining deficiency, woukl not only have Egypt in the text to sicjnifj' it and Canaan; but, by a figure more comprehensive, ■would have the children of Israel to mean, israel's children, and Lrael their father, and Lwuc the father of Israel, and part of the life of Abraham, the father of Isaac.

" Thus indeed," says Dr. Kennicott, " wc arrive at the exact sum, and by this method of reckoning we might arrive at any thing — but truth; which we may presume was ne\er thus conveyed by an inspired writer." But can the difficulty be removed without having recourse to such absurd shifts.' Certainly it can. The Samaritan Pentateuch, in all its manuscripts and printed copies, reads the place tlius:

U vioshab bency Yishrael vcubolam dsher yushehu baarels Cenadn, ubuarcts 7nitsraim ihclushim shanah learbd meoth shanah.

" Novj the sojourning of the children of Israel, and of their fathers, which they sojourned in tlie land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt, iias 430 years." This same sum is given by in. Paul, (ial. iii. 17. who reckons from the promise made to Abraham, when God commanded him to go to Canaan, to the piving of the law, which soon followed the departure from Egypt; and this chronology of the Apostle is concordant with the Samaritan Pentateuch, which, by presening the two passages, they and their fathers, and, in the land of Canaan, which are hn out of t)ie present copies of the Ilebrcw te.\t, has

43 fi And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is ' the ordinance of the pass-over: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

rescued this passage from all obscurity and contradiction. It may be necessary to observe, that the Alexandrian copy of the Sc]5tuagint has the same reading as that in the Samaritan. The.Samaritan Pentateuch is allowed by many learned men to exhibit the most correct eo[)y of the five boiiks of Moses; and the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint must also be allowed j to be one of the most authentic, as well as most ancient, copies of this versiim which we jmssess. As to St. Paul, no man will dis])ute the authenticity of his statement; and thus in the mouth of these three most respectable witnesses, the whole account is iii(lul)itably established. That these three witnesses have the trutli, the chronology itself ]iroves; for, from Abraham's entry into Canaan to the birth of Isaac, was 2i) years, (len. xii. 4. — xvii. 1 — 21. Isaac was (50 years old at the birth of Jacob, Gen. xxv. 26. And Jacob was 130 at his going down into Egypt, Gen. xlvii. 9. M'liich three sums make 215 years. And then Jiicoli and his children having contiiiued in ligypt 215 years more, the whole sum of 430 years is regiilarly completed. — See Kennicott's Dissertation on the Hebrew Text.

Verse 42. A night to he much ohserved] A night to be held in everlasting remembrance, because of the peculiar display of the power and goodness of God; the ol)ser\anee of which annually, was to be considered a religious precept, \i hile the Jewish nation should continue.

^'erse 43. This is ihc ordinance of the pass-oier'] From the last verse of this chapter, it appeal's pretty evident, tliat this to the 50th \ erse inclusive, constituted a part of the directions given to INIoses, re!ati\e to the proper observance of the first pass-over, and.should be read conjointly with the precediii;j account, beginning at ver.se 21. It may be supposed^ that the.-c latter verses contain such particular directions as God gave to Moses after he had given those general ones mentionf d in the preceding verses; but they seem all to belong to this fust pass-over.

No straiiger shall eat of it'\ -q: p ben necar, the son of a stranger, ov foreigner: i.e. one who was not of the genuine Hebrew stock, or one who hatl not received circumcision; for any circumcised person might eat the pa.ss-over, as the total esclusion extends only to the uncircumcised, see ver. 4S. As there are two sorts of strangers mentioned in the sacred writings; one who was admitted to all the Jewish ordinances, and another, w ho, though he dwelt among the Jews, was not permitted to eat the pass-over, or partake of any of their solemn feasts, it may be necessary to tliew what was tht

«at thereof. 46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not

carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of tiie

«.«,*tiitial jHiiiit of (li.stinction, through which the one wa.s aduiilkrt, and the other fxchidtd.

In treatises on ttic rehgious customs of the Jew.=, we frequently meet v\'illi the term pro.se/j/te, from the Greek, v^oTnXvToc, a sli(i7iu'cr, or foixic^ner, one who i.i cnmefrom his oun people and country to scjourn ivicJi anollia: All who were not descendants of some one of the twelve sons of Jacob, or of Eiihraini and Mana.sseh, the two sons of Josepli, were reputed slraiigers, nr,proseli/tes, among the Jews. But of those strangers, or proselytes, there were tix-o kind.*, called among them prosehjtcn of the gute, and proscli/les of justice, or of the covawnt. The foniicr were such as wished to dwell among the Jews, but wtnUd not.>.\ibmit to be circnuiciseii: they, however, acknowledged the true Ood, avoided all idolatry, aii<l ol)served the seven precepts of Noah; but were not obli^red to observe any of the Mosaic institutions. The latter submitted to be circumcised, obliged themselves to observe all "llie rites and ceremonies of the law, and were in nothing diiilivnt from the.lew.s, but merely in their having once been hcatlicns. 'I'he fornur, or proH-lytc.i of t/ic gate, might not eat the jiass-over, or partake ofanyof thesac.red festivals; but the latttr, the pro>tli/ics of the covciuittl, had the same rights, (Spiritual and secular, as the Jews themselves. — See ver. 48.

\ erse 45. A fori:igiu-i'\ Z'a^^\ toslnih, from D'w' yas/i/ih, to sit dovjn, or duel/, one who is a mere sojourner, for the pur-))ose of tralfic, merchandise, &c. but who is neither proselyte of the gate, nor of the lovaunit.

And a hired saviinti Who, though he be Ijought with ■moiiey, or has indented himself for a certain term, to serve a Jew; yet has not become i.ither proncli/te of the gutc, or of tlie covcnunt. None of the.?e slull eat of it, because not ciraitnciscd; not brought under the hond of the covenant; and not being under obligation to ol).serve the ftlosaic law, • had no ri;4lit to its privil( ges and blessing-s. Even under the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Author of eternal salvation only to them leho obey him, Ihh. v. 9. And those who iiecome Chri.-^tians, arc chosen to salvation throi/<^'h s.>.>;c- Tiiic-\Tn).\ of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, a Thefs. ii. "13. And the gxue of God, th/il bringeth salvinion to all men, hath appeared; teaching us, that mnving iN(i0OLi.\-iiss and wouLDi.Y lusts, lue should live soiitiu.Y, RicmcoisLY, and coDi.v, in this present world, Tit. ii. 11, 12. Such j)er- -sons only, walk worthy of the vocation w herewith they are -called. ■

N erse 'IG. In one house shall it be eaten"] In one family, if that be lar^e enough; if not, a neighbouring i'ajnily might be invito!, vcr.se 4.

the Loud, let all his males l)e circumcised, and then let Iiim come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is bom in the land: for no uncircimicised })erson shall eat thereof.

49 ^ One law shall be to him that is home-

must abide ^viihin doors, because of the destroying.mgel; none being permitted to go out of his house, till the next day, ver. 22.

Neither shall ye break a hone thereof.] As it was to be eatenin haste, ver. 11. there was no time either to separate the boue.'^, or to' break them, in order to extract the marrow; and lest they should be tempted to consume lime in this way, therefore this ordinance wa.s given. It is very likely that, when the whole lamb was brought to table, they cut oil' the flesh w ithout even separating any of the larije joint.s, leaving the skeleton, w ith w halever flesh they could not eat, to be consumed liith fire, ver. 10. This precept was also given to point out a most remarkable circumstance, which 1,501) years after, was to take place in the crucifixion of the.Saviour of mankind, who was the true Paschal Lamb, that Lamb of (lod, that ta.kes away the sin of the world; who, though he was crucified as a common malef.ictor, and it was a universal custom to break the legs of such on the cross, yet so did the pio\ideiice of (Jod order it, that a bone of him was not broken. —.See the fvilfilmenl of this wondrously exjjrefeive type, John xix..Vi,:Ui.

N'erse 48. And iihen a stranger — n'ill keep the pass-orer, &.C..] I.t't all who sojourn among you, and who desire to p.irtake of this sacred onlinance, not only be circumcised lluir,- si Ims, but all tile males of their families likewise, that they may all have an equal right to the blessings of the covenant.

Verse 49. One hnv shall be to him that is home-bom, &o.] As this is the iii^st place that the terui mi," torah, or law, occurs, a term of the greatest importance in Divine Kevelation, and on the proper understanding of which much de- })ends, I judge it best to give its geuuine explanation once for all.

The wonl mi.T torah, coines from the root m' yflrah, which signities to aim at, teach, point out, direct, lead, guide., wake struii^ht, or even; and from these significations of tl\e word, and in all these seniles it is iiyed in the Bible, »ve maysee at once, tile nature, properties, and design of the law of God. It is a system of instruction in righteousness: it teaches the diflference between moral good iuid evil; ascertains what is right and Jli to be done, and what should be left undone, because improper to be performed. It continually aims at the glory of (iod, and the luqipiness of his creaduvjs — teaches the true knowledge of the true God, ajid the destructive nature of sin — points out the absolute necessity of an atonnnent, as the only means by which (iod can be re- <.'onciled to transgre.sh^rs;;uid in its very significant rites and ctrtiiionics, points out the Son of God till he fli'>uld come to V M 2 same day, t/iat the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land put away iniquity by the sacrifice of himself. It is a revelation of God's wistloiii and goodness, v/onderfuUy well calculated to direct the hearts of men into the truth: to guide their feet into the ])ath of hfe; and to make strciiglit, even, and ])!(ii}i that vay which leads to God, and in which the soul must walk, in order to arrive at eternal life. It is the fountain whence every correct notion relative to God, his perfections, providence, grace, justice, holiness, omniscience, and omnipotence, has been derived. And it has been the origin whence all the true principles of Imu and juitice have been deduced. The pious study of it was the grand means of producing the greatest kings, the most enlightened t-tatesmen, the most accomplished poets, and ihe most holy and useful men that ever adorned the w orld. It is exceeded only by the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is at once the accompiishaitnt of its rites and predictions, and the fulfilment of its great plan and outline. As a system of teaching or in>truction, it is the most sovereign and most efifectual: as by it is the knowledge of sin; and it alone is the schoolmaster, TTCAoayayo:, that leuQ.i men to t'hrist, that they may be justified through faith, (ial. iii. ^2i. Who can absolutely ascertain the exact quantum of ohliquilt/ in a crooked line, witliout the apphcation of a straight one? And could sin, in all its twistings, windings, and varied involutions, have ever been truly ascertained, bad not God given to man this perfect rule to judge by? The nations who aikr.owledge this revelation of God, have, as far as they attend to its dictates, the w isest, purest, most equal, and most beneficial laws. The nations that do not receive it, have laws at once extravagantly severe and extravagantly indulgent. The proper distinctions between moral good and evil, in such states, are not known; hence the penal sanctit.iis are not founded on the principles of justice, weighing the exact proportion of moral turpitude; but on the most arbitrary caprices, vv'hich, in many cases, shew the utmost indulgence to first-rate crimes, while tiiey [junish minor otiences witli rigour and cruelty. What is the consequence } Just what miiilit be reasonably expected: the will and caprice of a man btiug put in the place of the wisdom of God, the government is ojjpressive; and tlie people freijuently goaded to di.-itraction, rise up in a mass and overturn it: so that the monarch, however powerful for a time, seldom lives out half liis days. This tea* the ca.se in Greece, in Rome, in the major part of the Asiatic governments, and is the case in all nations of the world to the present day, where the governor is despotic, and the laws not ibrmed according to the revelation of God.

Tlie word lex, laxu, among the Romans, has been derived from lego, I read; because when a law or statute was made, it was hung up in the most public places, that it might be seen, read, and known by all men; that those wlio were to obey the Javw, might not break them through ignorance, and thus incur the penalty. Tliis was called promulgutio legis, t\. proiulgatio, the pron.-utgation of the law, \. e. the laying it before ihe conivion people. Or from ligo, I bind, because the law binds m.en to the strict observance of its precepts..The Greeks call a law iiojxcij nomos, from n^<t, to divide, distribute, minister to, or serve, because the law divides to all their just rights, appointu or distributes to each his proper duty, and thus serves or ministers to the welfare of the individual and the support of society. Hence, where there are either no laws, or unequal and unjust ones, all is distraction, violence, rapine, oppression, anarcliy, and" ruin.

Verse 51. Bt/ their armies.] onxna tsebotam, from X3S tsaba, to assemble, meet together \n an orderly or regulated man-: net; and hence to loar, to act together as troops in battle: whence niN3i tsehaoi/i, troops, armies, hosts. It is from this that the Divine Being calls himself niN3i' mrr Yehovah tsehaoth, the Loud q/' hosts or armies, because the Israelites were bi'ought out of Egypt under his direction, 'marshalled and ordered by himself; guided by his wisdom, supported by his providence, and protected by his might. This is the true and, simple reason, why God is so frefjuently stiled in Scripture,' ' T/te Lord of Hosts: for the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their Armies.

On this cliapter, the Notes have been so full and so explicit, that little can be added to set the subject before the Reader, in a clearer light. On the ordinance of tlie PAss-oviin, the Reader is re(|uested to consult the Notes on verses 7, 14, and 27. For the display of God's power and providence in supporting so great a multitude, where humanly speaking, there was no provi ion; and the proof that the Exodus of the Israelites gives of the truth of the Mosaic history, he is referred to ver. 37. And for the meaning of the tel-m law, to ver. 49.

On the ten plagues, it may be but just necessary after what has been said in the Notes, to make a few general Reflexions. When the nature of the Egyptian idolatry is considefedy and the plagues w hich were sent upon them; we may see at once the peculiarity of the judgment, and the great propriety of its being inflicted in the way related by Moses. The plagufj were either inflicted on the objects of their idolatry, or by their means.

1. That the river Nile was an object of their worship, and one of their greatest gods, we have already seen. As the FIRST plague, its waters were theretbre turned into blood; and the fsh, many of which were objects also of their adoration, died. Blood was particularly (.flensivc to them, and the touch of any dead animal, rendered them unclean. When then, their great god the ri\er, was turned into blood, and its waters became putrid, so that all the fish, minor objects of their devotion, died, we see a judgment at once calculated to punish, correct, and reform them. Could they ever more trust in gods, who could neither sa\e themselves nor their deluded worshippers.'

2. Mr. Bryant has endeavoured to prove that/ro^-!, the second plague, were sacred animals in Egypt, and wxic dedicated to Osiris: they certainly appear on many ancient Egyptian monuments; and in such circumslances and co)ine.rions, as to shew that they were held in religious veneration. These therefore became an awful scourge; first, by their numbers, ami tluir intrusion into < very place; and secondly, hy their drulli, anil tlic iiilecliou of the- atiiiophere which look place in

3. We have seen also, that the EyyptianF, especially the pri* sts, afKctcd gnat clcaiiliiie.'sx, and «ould not wear woollen parincnts, Itst any kind of vermin should harbour ahout them. Tlie THiRii plague, by nit;'ns of tire or such like vermin, was wisely calculated both to bumble and confound them. In this, they immediately saw a power superior to any that could be exerted by their s;ods or their maj^icians; luid the lallcr were ol)hi:;ed to confess, T/iis is the finger of (Voc/ '

4. That Jiies wire held sacred anion;;- the E;iyptians, and among various other nations, admits of the strongest proof. It is very probable thai liaal-zebub himself, was wor.shipped under the form of a fy, or yreat canllutric/. These, therefore, or some kind of win;;ed noxious insects, liecame the ])vime agents in the foikth plague: and il" the cpiomt/ia or (log-fl>/ be intended, we have already seen in tl:e Notes, with what propriety and eflcct this juilgment Avas inflicted.

5. The mitrrain or mortality amonj; the cattle, was the fifth plague, and the most decisive mark of the power and indignation of Jehovah. Tliat dogs, cats, monket/s, rams, heifers, and bulls, were all objects of their most religious veneration, all the world knows. These « ere smitten in a most singular manner by the hand of tJod; and the E^^yptians saw themselves deprived at once of all their imaginary helpers. Even Apis, tlieir ox-god, in whom they particularly trusted, now siifters, groans and d:es under the hand of Jehovah. Thus does he execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. Sec ver. V2.

6. The SIXTH plague, vu- of boils and blains, was as appropriate;is any of the preceding; and the sprinkling of the ashes, the means by wiiich it was produced, peculiarly significant. Pharmacy, Mr. Bryant has observed, was in high repute among the Ivgyptians, and Isis, their most celebrated goddess, w as considered as the preventer or healer of all diseases. " For this gotldess," says Diodorus, Hist. lib. i. "used to reveal herself to people in their sleep, w hen they laboured under any disorder, and aflord them relief. Many who placed their confidence in her influence, Ta^aJoJw; vyiccivi^Sai were miraculously restored. Many likewise, who had been despaired of, and given over by the physicians, on account of the obstinacy of the distemper, were saved tiy this goddess. Numbers, who had been deprived of their eyes, and of other parts of their bodies, wae all restored on tlieir ajiplication to Isis." By this disorder, tlit refore, which no application to their gods (-ould cure; antl which was upon the magicians also, who were supposed to possess most power and influence, God confouiuled their pride, shewed the folly of their worship, and the vanity of their depenilance. The means by which these boils and blains were inflictevl, tiz. the sprinkling of ashes from the furnace, Wi\s peculiarly apiiropiiate. Plutarch assures us l)e Iside ct Osiride, that in several cities in Egypt, they were accu^lo^lU•d to sacrifice human beings to Typhoii, whom they burnt alive, upon a high altar; and at the close of the sacrilice, the priests gathered the a.~hes of these victims and scattereil them in the air; "I presume," says Mr. Bryant, "with this view, that where an atom of their dust was waited, a lilessing might be entailed. The like was done by Moses with the ashes of the furnace, that wherever any, the smallest portion alighted, it might prove a plague and a curse to this cruel ungrateful and infatuated peojjie. Thus there was a designeel contrast in these workings of Providence: an apparent oppo.sition to the superstition of the times."

7. The o^nVrow hail, the seventh plague, attended with rain, thunder, and lightning, in a counb'y where these scarcely ever occur, and according to an express prediction of jMoscs, must in the most signal mauiif r point out the power and justice of God. F/cc and water were; some of the {irincipal objects ()f Egyptian idolatry; and fire, as Porpliyry says, tluyconsi<lered ur'ya* ci»»» iiov, to be a great god. To find therefore, that these very elcmenU, the objects of their adoration, were at the command of a seirant of Jehovah, brou;;ht as a curse and scourge on the whole land, and uyjon men also ^nd cattle, must Iv.ivt shaken tht ir belief in these imaginary deities, while it))roved to th.c I,-ratiites, that there was none like the God of Jeshunin.

8. In the i;ighth plague we see, by what insignificant creatures God can bring about a general destruction. A caterpillar is beyond all animals the most contemptible, and taken singly, the least to be dreaded in the whole empire of nature; but in the hand of divine justice, it becomes one of the most formidable foes of the human race. I'rom the examples in the Kites-, we see how little, human power, industry, (ir art, can avail ■against this most awful scourge. Not even the mo.'t contemptible animal should be considered with disrespect, as in the hand of God, it may become the most terrible instrument for the punishment of a criminal individual, or a guilty land.

9. The.MNTH plagtie, the total anel horrible darkness,- titat lasted for three di.ys, afforded both Israelites and Egyptians the most illustrious proof of the power and universal dominion of (lod: anil was particularly to the latter, a most awful, yet instructi\'e lesson against a species of idolatry, which had been long prevalent in that and other countries: viz. The woi'ship of the celestial luminaries. The sun and tnoon were Ixith adored as supreme deities; as, the sole dispensers of light and hfe, and the sun was invoked as the giver of iir.mort-ility and eternal blessedness. Porphijry, De Abstin. 1. 4. preserves the very form used by the Egyptian i)riests in addressing the sun on behalf of a deceased person, that he might be admitted into

0ioi« avmixot. " O sovereign lord the Sun, ami all ye ot-!ier Deities v\ ho bestow life on mankind, receive me; and grant that I may be admitted as a comjjanion with the immortal gods I" Tliese objects if their superstitious worship, Jehovah shewed by this plague?" to be his creatures, dispensing or withholding their light merely at his w ill and pleasure; and that the people might be convinced that all this came by his appointment alone, he predicted this awful darkness; and that their astronoiners might have the fullest proof that this was no natural occurrence, and coulel not be the eftect of any kind of eclipse,, which even when total, could endure only about four minutes, and this case could happen only once in a 1000 years, he caused this paljiable darkness to continue for three daj/s!

10. The tenth and last plague, the slaying of tlie firstborn, or </(;(_/■ person in each family, may Ix; considered in the light of!M\i\mtretributiou; for, after that their natiemhad becii preserved by one of the Israehtish family, they had,says Mr. Bryant," contrary to all right, and in defiance of original stijiulalion, enslaved the people to \\liom they had been so much indebted: and niit contented with tins, they had proceedeel to murder their otl.^pring, ami to render the peoples' bondage intolerable by a wanton exertion of power. It liad been told them that the family of the Israelites were esteemed as CJod's firstborn, chap. iv. i?i?. therefore (.>'od said. Let my son go, that he may^ ser\e me; and if thou refuse — behold, 1 will slny thy son, even thy firstborn, ver. 23. But they heeded not this admonition, and hence those judgments came upon them, that terminated in the death of the eldest in each family: a just retaliation for their disobedience and cruelty." See several curious and important remarks on this subject, in a work entitled. Observations upon the plagues irttUcted on the E^/ptiims, by Jacob Bryant, 8vo. 1810.

On the whole, we may say, BehiAl the gooclness and severity of (lod! Seteritu ■ \mxi'A with goodness, even to the same eyes. It was probably, these signal displays of God's power and justice, and these alone, that induced them to leave E'^vpt people. He ^iinwAcV/ and fon'erfe'rf them at the same time; for 'at his command by Moses and Aaron; otherwise, with "the there was not one of -these judgments, that had not, from its drcadiul wilderness before them, totally unprovided for such a pecuhar nature and circumstances, some eniendatory influence, journey, in which humanlj' speaking-, it was inipossiljle for Nor could a more eflectual mode be adopted, to demonstrate to tliem and their households to subsist, they would have rather that people, the absurdity of their idolatry, and the incflicacy of preferred tlie ills lliey then suffered, than have run the risk of their dependance, than that made use of on this occasion by tile wise, just, and merciful God. At the same time, the Israelites themselves, must have received a lesson of the most impressive instruction, on the vanity and wickedness oi' idolatry, to which they vicxe at all times most deplorahiy prone; and of which they woul<l no doubt, have "iven many more examples, had tliL-y not had the Egyptian plagues continually before their

;'i-eater, by an attempt to escape from tlieir present bondafje. t lliis is proved by their munnurin;4s, chap. xvi. from which it j-is e\idfnt that they j)referrt;d liijypt \\ith all its curses, to their situation in the wilderness, and never could Iiave been induced to leave it, liad thty not had the fullest evidence that it was the will of GckI; which w ill, they were oblij^ed, on pain of 1 utter destruction, to obey.

God establishes the laio coticeniiiig the firstborn, «;»/ commands, that all such, both of man and beast, should be sanetlfied unto him, 1, G. Ordars them to remember the drii/ in which iheij zc'ere brought out of Egijpt, zchen theij should be brought to the land of Canaan; atid to keep ihia service in the month Abib,." — 5. Repeats the command concerning the leavened bread, 7. and orders them to teach their children the cause of it, 8. and to heep strictlif in remembrance, that it zi-as In/ the might of God alone, the;/ had been delivered from Egypt, 9. Shcu-s that the consecratian (f the firstborn, both of man and beast, should take place relic n. fhci/ should be settled in Canaan, 10 — 12. Tlie firstborn of man and beast to be redeemed, 13. The reason of this also to he sli^rai to their children, 14, 15. Frontlets or phylacteries /o;- //;e hands and forehead, commanded, \G. And the people are not led directly to the promised land, but about through the wilderness; and the reason assigned, 17, 18. Moses takes the bones of Joseph uith him, 19. Thei/ journei/ from Saccoth and co7ne to Ethain, 20. And the Lord goes before them In/ daj/ in a pillar of cloud, and btj night in a pillar of fire, (21. xchich miracle is regularly f.ontinued, both bij dai) and night, '2'2.

2 ^ Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever opcneth tlie womli among the chikhvu oflsiael, (juth oi'miui and of beast: it is mine.

3 % And Moses said unto the people, " Remember this day, in which ye caine out fi-om

Verse 1. The Lord -spu/ce unto Moxes] The commands in this chapter, apjieai- to have been given at Suecoth, on tlie same •day in which they left Es;y,it.

Versed. SuiKUfi/ iinlo mt ull the fu-ftboni] To sanctify, •cnp Liaash, si'^nities to consecrate, separate, and set apart' z tiling or person from all secular purposes, to some reli^nous use; and exa<:tiy answer.s to the import of the Greek ayto.'^^, from u. privative, and yn the earth, becauje every thirig offered or consecrated to God, V.&S separated from uti eurt/ilt/ ttscs. Hence £. Iwlj/ person, or saint, is termed Ayio,-, i. e. a person separated Xrom the earth— one who lives a holy life entirely devoted to

Egypt, out of the house of 'bondage; for " by strength of liand tlie Loud brought you out from this place: " there shall no leavened bread be eaten.

4 ^ ^riiis day came ye out in the month Abib.

5 And it shall be when the Lord shall ^ bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the

the service of God. Thus t!ie jiersons and animals.sanctified to (Jod, were employed in the service of the tabernacle and temple; and the animals, such as were proper, were ollered in sacrifice.

IVIiaisocver openeth tlie teomh'] i. e. the Jir.stliorn, if a male, for females were not otliu'ed; nor the th'st male, if a female ha',1 been born previously. As;'ain, if a. man had several wives, the firMborn of each, if a male, was to be offered to God. And all this was done, to eominemorate the preservation of live firstborn of the Israelites, when those of the Egyptians uere destroyed.

6 ' Seven days tliou shalt eat unleavened bread, ■ and in the seventh day shall be a (east to the j: Loud. jj

7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days;; and there shall '^ no leavened bread be seen witii i, thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with i' thee in all thy quarters.

8 And tiiou shalt " shew thy son in that day, Sxiying, TJtis is clone, because of that ivhich the Lo:iD did unto mc, when I came ibrth out of %vpt.

'\t is jirttty evident, that the Israelites were not oWi^red to ceijlehnite the pass-over, or keep the Itust of iinleavtULd bread, [till they were brouiilit into the promistd hind.

Verse 6. Unleavened bread'] See on chap. xii. 15, IG. Verse 9. And it shall be for a si^u—tipon thj/ handl This direction repented and enUuffcd ver. 16. gave rise to I'ln/lactcries, or Tcphillin; and this is one of the passages whicli tiie Jews write upon them, to tlie present day. The manner in which the Jews understood and kept these commands may a))pear in their practice. They wrote the following- four portions of the Law, npon sUps of parchment or velknii; Sunclifj unto me the Jirstboni, Exod. xiii. from ver. 2—10. inckisix'e. /bid it shall be ivhen the Lord shall bring thte into the lai:d, Exod. xiii. from ver. 11 — 16. inchisive. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, Dent. vi. from ver. 4 — 9. iiicki?i\e. And it shall come to pass, if i/c shall hearken dilip;eiit/y, Dcut. xi. fiom \er. 13 — 21. inchisive. These four portions n\akinn; ill all So verses, written as mentioned above, and covered with leather, they tied to the forehead, and to the hand or arm. Those which ttere for the head, (the fronllds) they wroio on tliur.slips of parchment, and rolled up each by itself, and ipliiced them in fnur compartments, joined to!,athtr in one jpiece of skin or leather.

I Those which were desi;,nned for the hand, were tunned of |one piece of ])archincnt, the four portions beiii;^- written uiion lit in four columns, and rolled up from one end to the otiier. JThese were all correct transcripts from the Mo.-aic Text, withjout one i-ediindant or dtfieient letter, otherwise they were not lawful to he M'orn. Those for the head, were tied on, so as to jrest on the tbrehcad. Those for the hand or arm Were usually Itied on the left arm, a litde above the elbow, on the inside, Ithat they might be near the heart, accordin.2; to the command, l)eiit. vi. 6. And these nords vjhich I command the:: tills day, skull be in thine heart. These phylacteries formed no inconsiderable part of a Jew's reiitjion; they wore them as a si.iii of their obli|j;ation to God, and as representing; some future blessedness. Hence, tliey did nut wear them on feast days, nor on the sabbath, because these things were, in tlieui=clves, si^ns;

9 And it shall be for 'a sign unto a.m.25w. thee upon thine hand, and for a mc- ^' ' ^ff'

Loud's law may be in thV moutii: ibr ^l^'H^"^- with a strong hand hath the Lokd brought tlice out of I'gypt.

10 •= Tiiou shall therefore keep this ordinance^ in his season, Irom year to year.

] 1 ^ And it shall be when the Lord sIkiU bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee aud to thy tathcrs, aud shall give it thee,.

12 "That thuii shalt ' set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix, aud every firstling, that conicrh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be tiie Lokd's.

hut they wore tlicm always when they rend the Law, or when they prayed; autl hence they called tliem pT'an trphilliii, pniyer-ornaments, oratories, or iucitemoiLs to prayer. In pi'ocess of time, the s[)irit of this haw was lost in the letter, and when the word was not in their mouth, nor the I.aw in their heart, they had their phylacteries on their heads, and on their hands. And the Pharisei s, who in our Lord's time allectcif extraordinary piety, made their phylacteries very broad, that, they migJit have many sentences written upon them, or the ordinary portions in very hirge and observable letters.

1. As sipis or reniembrancer.t. Tliis was the original design, as the institution itself suiliciently proves.

2. To procure reverence and respect in the sight of tlie heathen. This reason is given in the (lemarn, Beracoth. chap. 1. " Whence is it ]iroved, that the phylacteries, or tepluUin, are the strength of Israel? Ans. l"'rom what is written, Dcutxxviii. 10. All the people of the earth,.shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lor.u [ni.^< Y.ehovah'\ and they shall be afraid of thee."

;?. They used them as anialei.i or charms, to drive avay evit spirits, 'i'liis ajipears Irom the Targuui on Canticles, Aiii. S. His left hcwd is under mij head, hfC. " The congregation of Israel hath said, I am elect above all peoi)!e, because I bind my phylacteries on my left liaiid and on my head, and the scroll is fixed to the right side of my gate, the third part of \\hich looks to my bed-ehainber, that daemons may not be permitted to injure me."

An original phylactery or j'b'Sn '-ephillin now lies before me: it is a piece of fine vellum, about ei.^htccn inches long', and an inch and (jHurter broad. It is divided into four unequal compartinent-s; the letters are very well formed, but written with many apices, after the. manner of the German Jews. Iji the first compartment is written the portion taken IVi'in Exod. xiii. 2 — It). In the second, Exod. xiii. 11 — 16. In the third. Deut. vi. 4 — 9. In the fourth, Dout. xi. 13 — 21. as before related. Tiiis had originally served for the hand or arm.

1 3 And * every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a '' lamb; and if tliou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the first-born of man among thy children "^ shalt thou redeem.

l* "^ And it shall be when thy son asketh thee ' in time to come, saying. What is this? that

thou shalt say unto him, ^ By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that ^the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the first-born of beast: there-

fore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the first-born of my children, I re-

' 16 And it shall be for "a token upon thine' hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth ' out of Egypt.

17 *[[ And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Pliiiistines, although that 5XYW near; for God said. Lest peradvcnture the people ' rejjent when they see war, and " they i-eturn to Egypt:

18 But God 'led the people about, through

Tliese passap,es seem to be chosen in vindication of tlic use of the phylactery itself, as the reader may see on consultinuthem at large. Bind them for a sign v.j)on thy hand; and ^r FRONTLETS Between thy eye's; write them upon the posts ©f thy HOUSE, and cpon thy c.'vtes; all wliich commands the.Tews take in the most literal s*nse. To acquire the reputation «f extraordinary sanctity, they wore the fringes of their s^ar- Totnts of an uncommon k'n:;th. Moses had commanded them!Num. XV. 38, 39. to put fringes to the borders of their garments, that when tiicy looked upon even these distinct threads, thty might remember not only the Law in jjeneral, but also the very mimitiifi or smaller jiarts of all the precepts, rites, and eereinoriics belon^rinf^ to it. As those hypocrites, ibr sucli our Lord pi'ovcs them to be, were destitute of all the life and power of religion ti'ilkin, they endeavoured to supply its jilace with phylacteries and frinsres uithout. The same principles distiusiuivh hypocrites cvciy where, and multitudes of them may be founil among these termed Christiuns, as well as amonc; the Jexi-s. It is probably to this institution relative to the phylactery, that tlie words, Rev. xiv. 1. allude; And I looked, audio — 144,000 havintj his Father's name written on iheir foreheads. That is, says Mr. Ainsworth, as a sign of the profession of (iod's law; for that which m the Gospel is called Jiis NAME, Malt. xii. 21. in the Prophets is called his l.^w, Isai. xlii. 4. So again, Anticl^ri^t exacts the obedience to his precepts, by a mark on men's right hands, or on their foreheads. Rev. xiii. 16.

Verse \:i. Every firstling of an uss titou shalt redeem with a lamb] Or, a kid, as in the marnin. In Num. xviii. 15. it is said, " The firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem; and the firstliuu- of an unclean beii-st slialt thou redeem." Hence ve may infer, that ass is jait here for any ttnclciin beast, or for nnclean beasts in general. The lamb was to be given to the Lord, that is, to his priest, JS'um. xviii. 8, 15. And then the owner oi' the uss might use it for his own service, which, without this redemption, he could not do, see Deut. xv. 19.

T/ie firstborn of 7nun — shall thou redeem.'] Tins was done, by giving to the priests five slandaid shekels, or shekels of the sunctuary; every shekel weighing tn-cnlj/ gerahs. What the gerah was, see on Gen. xx. 16. And llr the shekel, see Gen. xxiii. 15.

It may be necessary to observe here, that the Hebrcv doctors teach, that ii' a father had neglected or refused thus to redeem his fir.stborn, the son himself was obliged to do it when he came of age. As this redeeming of the firstborn was instituted in con-sequence of sparing the firstborn of the Israelites, when the firstborn both of man and beast among the Egyptians, was destroyed; on this ground, all the firstborn were the Lord's, and should have been employed in his service; but he permitted tile firstborn of a useful unclean animal, to be redeemed by a clean aiiinitd of much less value. And he chose the tribe of Levi in place of all tiie firstborn of the tribes in general; and the five shekels \\cre ordered to be paid i in lieu of such firstborn sons as were liable to serve in the [sanctuary; and the money was applied to the support of the ' priests and Levitts. See this subject at large, in Num. iii. 12, 113,41,43,45,47—51.

Verse 17. God led them not through the ivny of the land nf the Philistines, ^c] Had the Israelites been obliged to commence their journey to the promised land, by a military campaign, there is little room to doubt, that they would ha\e been j discouraged, have rebelled against Moses and Ar.ion, and have returned back to Egypt. Tlicir long slavery had so degraded 1 their minds, that they were incapable of any great or noble ex- I ertions; anil it is only on the ground of this mental degradation,! the infallible consequence of slavery, that we can account for ' their many dastardly act.s, murinurings, and repinings after! their escape from Egypt. Tlit Header is requested to bear this f in mind, as it will serve to elucidate several circumstances in the ensuing history. Iksides, tb.e Israelites were in all probability miurmcd, and totally uneipiippcd for battle, encuiiibtrcd with their flocks, and certain culinary utensils, which they were obliged to carry witii them in the wilderness to provide them with bread, &<>.

Verso 18. Bat God led the people about] Dr..Shaw has shewn that there were tw o roads from Egypt to Canaan; one through the vallies of Jendilly, Rumeleah, anil Raideah, bounded on each side by the mountains of the Jower Thebais; the other lies higher, having the northern range of the moiuitailis of JMocatee running parallel with it, on tlie right hand, tnd

A..M. •-'>];. tlic way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the chikh'en of Israel went lip ' harnessed out of tlie hind of

19 And Moses took tlie bones of Josepli witli him: for he had straitly.sworn die chilihen of Israel, haying, "God will surely xisit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away lience with you.

the fksarl of the F,'.:yiitian Anibia, which lies all the way open to the inml of thf I'hilistim-s to tlu' Itf'l. See h'a account of these criLiiinpinenl.^ at, the tiul of Exodus.

if'ent vj) hanieysal] cr'ii"7:n cliamii.tliim. It i.< tiuly astonisiiiii'.; what a i;Tcat variety of opinions are tntertaintil relative to tlie meaning of tlii • worfl. After havinij ni;'.turely considered all that I liave met with on the siiUjcet, 1 think it j)robable, that ibe word refers —Hni.-ly to that onlcrli/ or ncll J arranged manner in whicli the Israelites coninRiicid their jour- ■, Bcy from l*li:\"pt. For to (tirnn^e, arrai/, or set in ortkr, seems,'to be the ideal meanin;;' of the word wXn clnimusli. A.i it was Uiatural to expect, that m such circuiuslance-s, there nui.^t have r been much liurry and confusion, the ins|)ired writer particu- * hrly marks the contiaiT, to shew tliat God had so (h.-posed f matters, that the utmost re;^ularily and order ])re\ ailed; and [ had it bien otherwise, thousands of men, women;md children I must have been trodden to death. Our margin lias it, bj/ Jive I ill a rank, but had they marched only live a breast, supposin<j I only one yard for each rank to move in, it would liavt- r.

1 1 And " the Lord went before tlicrh by day in a pillar ol' a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of lire, to giye tliein light; to go by day and night:

2'J He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Verse 21. T/it- Lord v:eia b-.foic tlicm] lliat liy tl:>' I.r.iio I here, is me.int the Lord Jesu.s we have the autiiority of.'^t. ' Paul to believe, I Cor. x. 9. it was he who.sc spirit they tempted in the wilderness, for it was he who led them through tlie dc-, sart to the promised rest.

j I'i/l.ir of a child] Tliis pillni- or column which appeared as a; clinid by ilay, and aHic by ni^ht, was the symbol of the Divine [ presence. 'Vliis was the Slicckiiuik or divine rlwelliiii;-place,,1 and was the ci;ntinual proof of the presence and protectU|n ot i (;()!). It «as necessary that they.shouKl have a guide to duTct ': them through the wilderness, eveii had they taken the mo.st direct road; and how much more so, when they look a circuHous jl route, not usually travelled, and of which they knew nothing 1 but just as the luininous pill;;r pointed out the way. Besides, I it is very likely, that even:Mo,-cs himself did not know tlie 1 route which (iod had deterinineil on; nor the places of en- 'camimient, till the pillar that went before them, became.sla- quired not'less than sixty-eight miles, for even the ()UO,0(X) to li tiuuary, and thus poiiite<l out not only the road, but the dit jiroceed on regularly in this « ay: for r)()!),00() divided by five! gives l"2t),000 ranks of five each: and there being only 1760 I yards in a mile, the dividing 120,000 by l/tiO will give the I number of miles such a column of people viould take up, which by such an operation will be found to be.something I more than 68 miles. But this, the circumstances of the his-! tory will by no means admit. Ilan/ier. The simple meaning, therefore, appears to be that given above: and if the note on! the concluding verse of the preceding chapter be considered, I it inay serve to place this explanation in a still clearer point i of view.

I Verse 19. ^losc; look llie bones of Jo.Hph'].Sec the note on Gen. 1. '■2.'}. It is supposed that the Israelites carried with i thein the- bones or remains of all the tivcti-e ■'<ons if Jacob, each I tribe taking care of the bones of its own jiatriarch, while Moses j took care of the bones of Joseph. St. Stephen expressly says 1 Acts vii. I"», 16. that not only Jacob, but the./«///(7s were I carried from Egypt into.Syeheni; and this, m Caliiiet remarks, I was the only opportunity that sceins to have prescaited itself for < doing this; and certainly the reason that rcndend it proper to i remove the b/jiies of Joseph to the promised laud, had equal I weight in reference to those of the other Patriarchs. See the Note on Gen. xlix. 29.

Verse 20. Encamped in Fjluuii] As, for the reasons assigned en ver. 17. God would not lead the Israclittw by the way of the Philistines' country, he directed tbein towards the wilderness of.S7/!/;-, ch. XV. 22. upon the edge or extremity of which, next to Egypt, at the bottom of the Arabian Gulph, lay Ethum, ferent places of rest. Whether there v. as more than one iiillar is not clearly determined by the text. If there was Ijnl one, it certainly as-^un.ed three diffcretit appearances, for the performance of riiui;!; very important oflice.s. 1. In the day nine, for the purjiose ui' poiiitiif.^ out the nay, & column ov pillar of u, cloud, was all that was requisite. 2. At niglit, to prevent tJiat confusion which must otherwi.se have taken place, the pillar of cloud became a pillar of fire, not to direct their journeymgs, for_ they seKUiin travelled by night, but logiie ligtil to every part (4 the' Israelitish camp..J. In such a scorching, barren, thirsty desart,.something farther was necessary than a light and a guide. Women, children, and comparatively infirm persons, exposed to the rays of such a liurning sun, nm-t ha\e been dcst roy ed, if w ithout a co:rring; hence we find lliat a cloud over-.■iliadov.ed them; and from what St. Paul ob.sei\es, 1 Cor. x. 1,2. we are led to conclu<lc, that this covering cloud was composed of aijucous purlieles for the cooling of the atmosphere, land refVeshmenl of themselves and their' cattle; for he repre- ' sents th<' \\ hole camp as being.sprinkled or inunerscd in Jhe humidity of its vapours, and expressly calls it a bi-ing under the cloud, and being baptized in the cloud. To the circum- I stance of the cloud covering them, there are several references il) Scripture. Thus Psal. cv..59. he spread a cloud for their co- ' vcriiis;. And the Lord xcill create upon every dwell ing-pluce of 1 Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies \ cloud and sMOKt uv '] DAY, and tfii:.ihiniiig of a rLAMi.so riuE hy night; for upon all the glory shall be h defence — or covering. Isa. iv. 5. which words contain the most mamfc:sl allusion to the threefold " X X

Verse 23. He took not a-joajj the pillitr of the cloml] Neither Jews nor'(5entiles are ap;reed how long- the cloud continued with the IsraeUtes. It is very piolialde that it first visited them at Sticcoth, if it did not accompany them from Rameses; and that it continued with them, till they came to the river Jordan, to ])ass over of)jio>ite to Jericho; for after that, it appears tliat the ark idone uas their guide, as it always marched at their liead. Sec Josh. iii. 10, &c. But others think that it went no farther with them than Mount Hor, and never apjieared after the death of Aaron. We may safely assert that wliile it was indispensably necessary, it continued with them; when it was not so, it was removed. But it is worthy of remark, that the ark of the Co- Tenant became its substitute. While a miracle was necessary, a miracle was granted; when that w as no longer necessary, then the testimony of the Lord deposited in the ark, was deemed s.uffitient, bv Him who cannot err..So,imder the jjospel dispensation, miracles were necessary at its first pronuilyation: but after that the canon of Scripture was completed, the new covenant havinij been made, ratified by the blooil of the Lamb, and published by the Holy Spirit; then God withdre\\' generally, those outward siipis, leaving his xiord for a continual testintojij/, and sealing it ©n the souls of believers by the Spirit of truth.

It is also worthy of remn.rk, that the ancient heathen writers represent the ir j>ods, in thm- pretended manifestations to men, as always enmnipitssed iiilh a cloud. Homer and Virgil abound v.ith examples of this kind; and is it not very probable, that they borrowed this, as they did many other things in their mythologic theolosy, from the tradition of Jehovah guiding his people throueh the desart, by mearis of the cloud, in and by which ite repeatedlj' manifested himself?

1. Extraordinary manifestation-, and interpositions of Providence and grace, should be held in continual remembrance. We are liable to forgx t the hole of the ]iit whence we were digged, urKl the rock whence we were hewn. Prudence and pieti/ will iu-titute their anniiersnries, that the merciful dealings of the Lord may never be forgotten. The pass-over, and the feast if iintearencd bread, by an annual commeinoration, became standing proofs to the children of Israel, of the chvine origin of their religion; and are supportmg pillars of it to the present day- For, when a fact is reported to have taken place, and certain rites or ceremonies have been instituted in order to ctommemorate it, which rites or ceremonies continue to be obeei-ved through succeeding ages, then the fact itself, no matter how remote the period of its occurrence may have been, has the utmost proofs of authenticity, that it is possible for any fact to have; and such as every person, pretending to reason and judo-ment, is obliged to receive. On this around the Mo- Baic religion, and the facts recorded in it, are indubitably proved; and the Christian religion and its facts, being commemorated in the same way, particularly by baptism, and tlie Lord's Supper, stand on such a foundation of moral certainty, •rtS no other records in the universe can possibly boast. Reader, praise God lor liis ordinances, they are not only means of "race to thy soul, but standing niefraaable proofs of the truth of that religion, which thou hast received as from HL\I.

2. A serious public profession of the religion of Christ, lias in all aje* of the church t>een con.idered, not only highly becoming, but indispen.sably necessary to salvation. He who consistently confesses Christ before men, shall be confessed by him, before (^od and his angels. A Jtty W'.re his phylacteries on his forehead, on his hands, and round his garments, that he miirhthave reverence in the sight of the heatiun — he gloried in his law, and he exulted that Ahraham was his father. Christian, with a Zeal not lessbecoriiing, and more consistently supported, let the words of th}' mouth, the acts (;f thy hands, and all thy goings, shew that thou belongest unto (jOiI; that thou hast taken his s))irit for the guide of thy heart, his word for the rule of thy life, his people for thy companions, his heaven for thy inheritance, and Himself for the)jortion of thy soul. And see that Uiou hold fast the truth, and that tliou hold it in righteousness, •3. How nierciful is Ciod in the dispensations of his providence. He permits none to be tried above what he is able to bear, and he proportions the burden to the back that is to bear it. He led not the Israelites by the \vay of the Philistines, lest seeing ii-ar, they should repent and be discouraged. Young con- \'erts are generally saved from severe spiritual conflicts and heavy temptations, till they have acquired a hai)it of believing, are disciplined in the school of Christ, and instructed in the nature of the path in which they go, and the diiheullics they may e.vpect to find in it. They are informed that such things may take ]>lace, they are thus armed for the battle, and when trials do come, they are not taken by surprise: God, the most merciful and kind God " tempers even the blast to the shorn lamb." Trust in him therefore, with all thy heart, and never lean to thy own imderstanding.

4. The providence and goodness of God are equally observable in the pillar of cloud, and the pillar of fire. The former was the proof of his providential kindness by day, the latter by night. Thus he adjusts the assistances of his grace anil spirit, to the exigencies of his creatures; giving at some times, when peculiar trials require it, more particular manifestations of his mercy and goodness; but at all times, such evidences of his approbation, as are sufficient to satisfy a pious faithful heart. It is true, the pillar of fire was more observable in the night, because of tlie general darkness, than the pillar of cloud was by day; yet the latter was as convincing and as evident a proof of his presence, approbation, and protection, as the former. It is the duty and interest of every sound believer in Christ, to lia\c the witness of God's spirit in his souf at all times, that his spirit and ways please his IMaker; but in seasons oi peculiar difficulty, he may expect the more sensible manifestations of God's goodness. A good man is a temple of the Holy Spirit; but he who has an unholy heart, and who lives an unrighteous life, though he may have an orthodox creed, is a hold of unclean spirits, and an abomination in tlie sight of the Lord. Reader, let not these observations be fruitless to thee. God gives thee his \vord and his spirit: obey thi.s word, that thou grieve not this spirit. Ilie following- figurative saying t)f a Jewish Rabbin is worthy of regard. " God addresses Israel and says, IMy son, I give thee my lamp, give me thy lamp. If thou keep my lamp, I will keep thy lainpf l)vU if thou quench my lam]), I will extinguish thy lamp." j. e, I give thee my word and ■•spirit, give me thy heart and soui: if thou carefully attentl to my word, and grieve not my spirit, I will preserve thy soul alive; but if thou rebel against my word, and quench my spirit, then thy light shall be put out, and tby soul's blessedness extinguished in erolasting darkueasir

The Israelites encamp at Pi-hahiroth. CHAP. XH'. Pharaoh prepares to pursue them.

J'/it' Israelites arc commanded lo encamp before Pi-luihimlh, 1, '2. God predicts Uic pursuit of Pliaraoh, 3, 4. P/iarao/t is informed tlial llie Israelites are fied, and regrets that he suffered them to depart, 5. lie musters his troops and pursues them, 6 — 8. Overtake^ them in their encampment hi/ the Wed sea, <). The Israelites are terrified at his approach, 10. They murmur against Moses for leading them out, 11, VI. Moses encourages them, and assures them (f deliverance, 13, 14. (ind commands the Israe/iles to adianre, and Mose$ to stretch out his rod Over the sea that it might he divided, 1.), l6. and promises uttcrli/ to discomfit the Egi/ptiuns, 1", IS, The angel of God places himself hetzceen the Israelites and the Egi/pdans, U>. The pillar of the cloud becomes darl;ne.:s to the Esi/ptinns zi'/iile it gives light to the Israelites, '20. MoSes stretches out his rod, and a strong east wind bloivs, and the routers are divided, 'il. The Israelites enter and tmIIc on dri/ ground, G2. IVte Egi/ptians enter also in pursuit of the Israelites, 23. The Lord looks out of the pillar of cloud on the Egi/ptians, terrifies them and disjoints their chariots, 24, 2j. Moses is commanded to stretch forth his rod over the rcaters that thei/ may return to their former bed, IG. lie docs so, and the rchote Egyptian army is overuhelmed, 1', 28, u-hile every Israelite escapes,- 29. Being thus saved from the hand of their adversaries, theif acknowledge the pouer of God, and credit the mission of Moses, 30, 31.

2 Speak unto the children of" Israel, that they turn and encamp))efbre * Pi-hahiroth, between ' Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon; before it shall ye encamp by the sea. S For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, " They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. 4 And " I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he

honoured upon lliaraoli, and upon all his host; ^that the Egyptians may know that I am the Loiiu. And they did so.

5 % And it was told the king of Egypt that ] the people fled: and " the heart of Pharaoh, and

of his servants, was turned against the jjeoplc, and they said. Why have we done this, that wc have let Israel go fi'om serving us?

6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

Verse 2. Encamp hrfore Pi-ha/urn/It] "ITin '3 pi ha-chi- Todi, the mnntli, ttrait, or bay of Cliiroth. Between, I\Ii;^dol, ■JUa migdol, the tower, })robal)ly a fortress that served to defend the bay. (htr agaiiisl Baal-zeplioit, pv Vi"^ ba<d /■■^cp/ioii, the lord or master of the watch, probably an idol temple, wiiere acoutmual iruard, watcii or iit,d)t, was kept up, for the defence of one part of llie liavcn, or as a guide to.-hips. Dr. Shaw thinb' that chiroth may denote the valley uhich extended itself from the wilderness of Ktliain to tin- Kid sea; and that the part in which the Israelites encauip(d war- called J'i lai-chirotit, i.e. the mouth or bay of ('hirolh..See his Travcl.s, p. 310, and his uctoiint at the end of Mxodns.

Verse 3. TIkijavc entangled in ihc/tind'] (lod himself brous;ht them into straits, fW.in which no human power or art could extricate tluni. Consider iheir situation whin once broujjht out of the open country, where alone thty had room either to fi'^ht or fly. -Now lluy had the Red sea" before tlicm, I'iiaraoh und his host behind them, and on their ri_i;ht and left hand, Jhrlrcsxc.i of the Egyptians to ]>revcnt their escape: nor had they one boat or transport prepared for their passai^e! If they Ik- fiow saved, the arm of the Lord must be seen, iuid the vanity and nullity of the Egyptian idols be demonstrated. By brinuing them into such a situation, he took from them all ho]5e of human help, and save tlieir adversaries every advanlas;e ai;"iinst them, so that they diemselves said: thej/ are aiian:;lcd in the land, the -.lilderness hiith shut them in.

\'erse 4. / xvill harden Pharaoh's heart'] After relentin'i' and jjiving them permission to depart, he now changes his mind and determin s to pn vent them, and without any further restraining grace, (Jod [jermits him to ru-h on to his tiuul ruin: for the cup of his iniquity was now fiUl.

Verse.5. And it leas told the hing — that the people fled] Of their departure he could not be ignorant, because himself had given them liberty to depart; but the word fled hero, may Ije understood as implying, that they had utterly left Ji^ypl, williout any intention to return, which is probably what he did not expect; for he had only given them permission to go three days journey into the wilderness, in order lo sacrifice to Jehovah; but from the circumstances of their departure, and the property taey had got froai the Egyptians, it was taken for <;'rauted, that they had nu design to return; and this w:ls in all likelihood, the consideration that weighed most with this avaricious king, and determined him to pursue, aud either recover X X 2

8 And the Lord ''hardened the heart

fore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 ^ Is not this the word that we of Phai-aoh kinjf of Egypt, and he pursued after j' did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, the children of Israel: and "" the children of Israel tiiat we may serve the Egyptians? For it had went out with a high hand. || beefi better tor us to serve the Egyptians, than

9 But the "^ Egyptians pursued after tliem, (aE v that we should die in the wilderness? the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and hislj 13 ^ And Moses said unto the people, ^ Fear horsemen, and liis army,) and overtook them en- 1' ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the

10 ^ And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore atiraid: and the children of Israel ' cried out imto the Lord.

I Lord, which he will shew to you to day: ' for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall

ij 15 ^ And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore cricst thou unto me? speak unto the chil-

11 ^ And they said unto Moses, Because tlierei dren of Israel, that they go tbrward -uere no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us 16 But "lift thou up th.y rod, and stretch out

tlie spoil, or brinLf them back, or both. Tliu.* the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said, u-hy hare tit; let Israel go from sen-ing us? Here was the grand incentive to pursuit; their sen ice was profitable to the state, and thcj- were determined not to give it up.

Verse 7.!>ix hundred chosen chariots, &c.] According; to the most authentic accounts we have of ivar chariot, they were frequently drawn by iivo, oThyfour liorses, and carried three per-.sons, one wa.^ ctiarioteer, w]lo^e bu-incss it was to a;uide the horse.s but he seldom fou;iht; the second chiefly defended tlie charioteer, and the third alone was properly the combatant. It appears that in this case Pharaoh had collected all the cavalry of Egypt, see ver. 17. and thougii these might not have been very numerous, yet humanly speaking-, they might easdy over- Come (he unarmed and encumbered Israelites, «ho could not be supposed to be able to make any resistance against cavalry and livjr chariots.

Verse 10. The children of Israel cried nnlo the Lord'\ Had their prayer been accompanied with faith, we should not have found them in the next verses murmuring against Closes, or rather against the Lord, throuuh whose goodness they were now brought from under that bondaije, from which they had often cried for dcUverance. Calmet thinks that the most pious and judicious cried unto God, while the unthinking and irreligioiis murmured against J\Ioses.

Ver^e 13. Moses said — Fear ye not'] This exhortation was not given to excite them to i-esist, for of that there was no iiope: they were unarmed, they had no courage, and their minds were deplorablj' degraded.

Stand f'ttll] Yc shall not be even workers together with God; only be quiet, and do not render j'ourselvcs wretched by your fears and jour confusion.

Ye shall see them again no more] Here was strfmg faith, Imt this was accom()ani!(l liy the spirit of ]Mophecy: (iod shewed Moses what he would do, he bL-lieved, and therefore he spoke in the encoura2:ing m*mer related above.

Verse 14. Tlie Lord shall fight for you] Ye sliall have no part in the honour of the day — Gotl alone shall bring you olJj and defeat your foes.

Ye shall hold your peace.] Y'our unbelieving fears and clamours shall be contbunded; and ye shall see, that by /night none shall be able to prevail against the Lord; and that the feeblest shall take the prey v,hen the po\ter of Jehovah is exerted.

Verse 15. Wherefore crycst thou unto me?] We hear not one word of Moses' prayiiig; and yet here, the Lord asks him why he cries unto him.' From which we may learn, that the heart of Moses was deej)!}' engaged with tiod* though it is probable, lie did not articulate one word; but the language of sighs, tears, and desires is equally intelligilile to God, with that of I'jords. This consideration should be a strong encouragement to every feeble discouraged mind — Thou Canst not pray — but thou canst lic/;; if even tears are denied thee, for there may be deep and genuine re])entance, \vhere the distress is so great as to stop up those channels of relief, then thou canst sigh: and God, whose Spirit has thus convinced thee of sin, righteousness, and judgment, knoivs thy unutterable groanings, and re.ids the inexpressible wish of thy burthened soul: a wish, of which himself is the author, and which he has breatlied with the purpose to satisfy it.

\'eri;e 10. Lift thou np ihy Tod] Neither Moses, nor his rod could be any eftective instruments in a work, which could be accomplished only by the omnipotence of God; but it was neccssarv that he sliould appear in it, in order that he niighl

17 And I, behold, I will " harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will '' get me iionour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chaiiots, and upon his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians "shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honour upon Piiaraoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19 % And the angel of God, '^ which went before the camp of Israel, remove<l and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from

have credit in the sight of the Israelite.s; and that they miijht sec that God had chosen him to be the in.stnunciit of their deliverance

Yer^e IS. They shrill knoxu that I am the I.oiid] Pharaoh had just reruvercd from the consternation and coni'iisioii with v'bieh the late plapjues had overwhelmed hiin; and now he is (iiibvldcned to pursue after Israel, and God is delernuji: il to make his overthrow so signal hy sueh an cNertion of onuupottnee, that lie shall <;et himself honour by this m.iraculoiis act; and that the r'.siyptiaiis shall kno\i, i. e. ac/cnoxi-ledge, that he is Jehovah, the onmipotent, self-existiii^r, eternal God.

Verse 19. The angel of Goil\ It has been thoiiijht by some that the cim^clj i. e meisctiffvr, of the Loril, and tlie })iilar of eloud mean here the same tiling. An an»el miL;ht assume the appearance of a cloud; and evm a material cloud thus particularly a|ipointed, mi<iht be calkd an an;rel or rue.'isoi^^cr of the Lord; for sueh is the literal import of the word "inVq Jiialac an anyel. It is however most probable, that the anj;el of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus, appeared on this occ;u-ion, in behali of the people: For, as this deliverance, was to be an illustrious type of the deliverance of man from t!ie powtr and f;uilt of sin, by his incarnation and death; it miiiht have been deemed necessary, in the judgment of divine wisdom, that /« should appear ihief n'j^ent in this most important and momentous crisis. On the word an^el, and ani,^l of the e<.^\tnant, sie the

20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians, and tlic cam}) ot Israel; and ' it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it <>:ave li<;ht bv night to these: so that the one came not near the other ail the mght.

2 1 If And jNIoses ' stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and ^ made the sea dry land, and the waters were '' divided.

22 And' 'the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea, upon the dry ^7-(»/«f/.- and the waters xcere " a wall unto them, on their right hand, and on their left.

23 "[[ And the Egyptians pursued, and went

Verse '20. It xvas a cloud and darl:na>s to them, &:c.] That the Israelites mii;ht not be dismayed at the icipairunce of their enemies, and that these niii,dit not be able tu iliseern the object of their pursuit, the ]jillar of cloud ino\ed from the front to tlie rear of the Israelitish camp, so as perfectly to separate bclwirn them and the Kgyp'ians. It a[ipears also, that this cloud bad tuo sides, one dark and the other luminous: the luminous side i.;ave li'j;ht to the whole camp of Israel, during the nii;lit of pass-a;j:e; and the dark side turned towards the pursuing I'.gyptians, (jrevented them from receiving any b. ncfit from that light. How easily can God make the same thing an instrument of destruction or:alvation, as seems best to his godly wisdom! II? alone can work by all agents, and pro- duce any kind of eflect, even by the same instrument; for all things serve the jmrposes of his will.

Verse 21. The Lord caused the.'ca to go back] That part of the sea over which the Israelites p.Lssed, wa.e, according to Mr. Bruce and other travellers, about./'o;;;- /frt^;(fs across, and therefore might easily be crossed in one night. In the dividing of the sea, nvo agents appear to be employed, though the (fleet produced can be attributed to neither. By stretching out the rod, the waters were divideil; by the lilowing of the >eiiemcnf, ardent east-wind, the hed of the sea was dried. It has been observed, that in the place where the Israelites are sitppo.-td to have passed, the water is about Jourteen fathoms or taentj^ietght yards deep: had the wind mentioned here been strong enough, naturally speaking, to have divided the waters, it must have blown in one narrow track, and continued blowing in the dntction in which the Israelites pa.ssed; and a wmd sufficient to have raised a mass of water tueniy-eight yarils deep, and <;rf/re miles in Ungth, out of its bed, woiJd necessarily hav^ blown the whole six hundred thousand men away, and utterly destroyed them and their cattle. I therefore conclude that the east-wmd, which was ever remarked as a parching, burning w ind, was used after the division of the waters, merely to dry the bottom, and render it jiassable. lor an account of the hot drying winds in the Mast, see the Note on Gen. viii. 1. Goil ( ver puts the highest honour on his m.strumeiit,?>'uli re, and where it can act, he ever empluys it...No natural agent could divide these waters, and cause them to staiul as a null upon the right-hand and upon the left; therefore t.od did it by his own sovereign power. When the waters were thus ihvided, there was no need of a miracle to dry the bed of tlie sea, and make it passable; thcrelore the strong desiccating east-wind was brought, which soon aceoinplished this object. In thi< light 1 suppose the text should be under.-.tooil.

\'erse 'ii. /lad the dialers were a i::att unto thcyn, on their right hand and on their left.] This verse demonstrates that the passage was miraculous. Some have supposed that the Israelites had passed through, favoured by an extraordinary ehb, w Inch happened at that tunc to be produced by a strong wind, which happened just then to blow I Had this been the case, there

in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch, ' the I-ord looked unto the host of the Egyptians, through the pillar of lire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of tlie Egyptians,. •

25 And took off their chariot wheels, ^ that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said. Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord ' tighteth tor them against tlie Egyptians.

26 % And the Lord said unto Moses, " Stretch out thine hand over tlie sea, that tiie waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

•could iK)t have l)ecn waters standin^^ on the right hand and on ihe left: much less could those waters, coutraiy to every law of fluids, have stood as a \\ all on either side while the Israelites passed throufjli; and then hiijipcn to Income obedient to the laws of gravitation, «hen the Enyptians entered m! An intidel may deny the revelation in toto, and from such we expect nothing; better; hut to hear those w ho profess to believe this to be a divine revelation, endeavouring- to prove that the passa:^e of the Red sea had noihing tiiiroculous in it, is reallj' intolerable. Such a mode of interpretation requires a miracle to n-.ake itself credible. Poor infidelity! hou' miserable and despicable are thy shifts.'

Verse 24. The morning uy/^c//] A iiritch was the fourth part of the time from sun-scttin;;' to sun-risinj;;; so called from."oldiers keepinij s'uard by night, who, beinjj changed four times during tlie night, the periods came to be called icalches. Dodd.

As here and in ISam. xi. 11. is mentioned the morning ivatch; so in Lam. ii. 19. the beginning of the ivatrlie.i; and in Judg. vii. 19. the middle vjatch is spoken of: in I.nke xii. 38. the second and third 'watch; and in Matt. xiv. 25. the fourth watch of the night: which in Matt. xiii. S5. are named evening, midnight, cock-crovjing, and day-daivning. Ainsxvurth.

As the Israelites went out of Egypt at the vernal equinox, the morning watch, or according to the Hebrew, '\^2T\ rncii'xn be-asheiiiroth hn-hokcr, the luatch of dny-l>reak, would answer to our f'jiir o'clock in the morning. Catniet.

The Lord looked out] This proliably means, tlwt tlie cloud suddenly assumed a fieiy appeaianee where it had been dark before; or they «'ere apjialled by violent thunders and lightning, which we are assured by the P.salmist did actually take place; together with great inundations of rain, &c. The clouds POURED OUT w.vrEK, the skies scut out a sound, thine aiuiows also went abroad. The voice of thi/ thundek itv/v in t/ie heavens, the LiGnrxiNos lightened the xuortd, the eartlj ruEM- BLED UJid SHOOK. Thy tcay is in the sea, and tin/ jiuth in the great waters. Thou leddest tlii/ people like a Jlock, bjj the hand vf Moses aud Aaron. Psal. l.\x\u. 14 — iO. Sucli tempests

28 And "■ the waters returned, and

2y But " the children of Israel walked upon dry land, in the midst of the sea; and the waters xvere a wall unto them, on their right hand, and on their left.

30 Tlius the Lord ' saved Israel that day, out of the hand of tlie Egyptians; and Israel

as these, would necessarily terrify the Egyptian horses, and produce general confusion. Bj' their dashing hither and thither, the wheels must be destroyed, and the chariots broken; and loot and liorse must be mingled together in one universal ruin: see ver. 25. During the time that this state of horror and confusion was at its summit, the Israelites had safely passed over, and then Moses, at the command of God, ver. 20. having stretched out his rod over the waters, the sea returned to its strength, ver. 27. i. e. the waters by their natural gravity resumed their level, and the whole Egyptian host were completely overwhelmed, ver. 28. But as to the Israelites, the w aters had been a wall unto them on the right hand and on the left, ver. 29. Tliis, the w aters could not have been, unless they had been supernaturally supported, as their own gravity would necessarily have occasioned them to have kept their level; or, if raised beyond it, to have regained it, if left to their natural law, to v.h'.eh they are ever subject, unless in cases of miraculous interference. Thus, the enemies of the Lord peri>htd; and that people v\ ho decreed that the male chile Ireh of the Hebrevvs shoukl be droiined, were themselves destroyed in the pit which tluy hail destined for others. God's ways are all ecjual; and he renders to every man /iccordiug to his icorks.

^'er^e 28. There remained not so much as one of them] Jo- •sephiis says, that tlu- ai'my tif Pharaoh consisted oi'ffti/ thousand horje, and tivo hundred thousand fo<t. of whom not one remained, to carry tidings of this mo.st extraordinary catastiophe. Verse -JO. Israel sa-c the Egyptians dead upon ihe na shore.] By the extraordinary agitation of the waters, no doubt multitudes of the dead Egyptians were cast on the shore, and by their spoils, the Israelites were probably liirnisheil with considerable riches, and especially clothing and arms; which latter were essentially necessary to them in their wars with the Anialekiies, Easnnites, ami Ainorctcs, &c. on their «ay to the [jromised land. It they did not get their arms in this way, we know not how they got tiieiu; as there is not the slightest reason to believe, that they brought any with them out of Egypt.

31 And Israel saw that great ^ work which the Lord did upon tiic Egy^)-

Verse 31. Tfic people feared the Lord] Tlify were <'oiivinced by the interference of Jt-luivah, that his power was unlimiteil; anil tliat he could do whatsoever he pleased, both in the way: oi jiidi^ment and in the way of mercy.

I And believed the Lord and /lii sertaiit J)Iose.i.'] They now tlearlv discerned, that God iiad fulfilled all his promises; and that not one thi»g had failed, of all t!i<.- j^ood which he had spoken concerning Israel. And Mfy believed hit servuiil yioscs. They had now the t'ulkst proof that he was divinely appointed to work all tluse miracles, and to brin^f them out of Egypt; into the promised land.

I Thus God got himself honour upon Pharaoh and the Egyp- I tians, and credit in the siglit of Israel. vMler this overthrow of thtir king and his host, the Egyptians interrupted them no nioie i:i their journeyings, couMnccd of the omnipotence of ■) tlicir protector: and how s^trange, that after such disjilays of 'the justice and mercy of Jehovah, the Israelites should ever J have been deficient in faith, or have given place to iiuirmurmg!

1. The events recorded in this chapter are truly astonishing; J aiid they strongly mark what God can do, anil what he il'HI '•: do, both against his enemies, and in bciialf of his followers. ' In vain are all the forces of Egypt united to destroy the Israel-! itcs: at the breath of (iod's mouth tliey perish: and his feeble, ' discouraged, uiianned l'ollo«'ers take the prey! Witii such a history before their eyes, is it not strange that sinners should run on frowardly in the path of transgression; and that those who are redeemed from the world, should ever doulst of the all-sufTTciency and goodness of their (.Jod! Mad we not already known the sequel of the Israelitish history, we should have been led to conclud!, that this people would have gone on their way rejoieinj-, trusting in (Jod «ith their \vhole heart, and never leaning to their own understanding: but alas! we find that as soon as any new dilliculty occurred, they murmured against God and their leaders, despised the pleasant land, and gave no credence to his word.

2. Their case is not a solitary one: most of those who are called Cliri.stiaiis, are not more remarkable for faitli and patience. Every reverse will necessarily pain and discompose the people who are seeking their portion in this life. And it is a sure mark of a worldly mind, when we trust the God of providence and grace no farther than we see the operations of his hand in our immediate supply; and murmur and repine when tlie hand of his bounty seems closed, and the influences of his spirit restrained; though our unthankful and unholy carriage has been the cause of this change. Those alone who humble themselves under the mighty hand of God shall be lif\ed up in due season. Reader, tho.u canst never be deceived in trusting thy all, the concerns of thy body and soul, to Ilim who divided the sea, saved the Hebrews, and destroyed the Eifvptiani.

Moses ami the Israelites si/)g a song of praise to^ God for their late deliverance, in ichich they celebrate the poser of j (^od, gloriously manifested in the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, 1, eiprc^s their confidence in him as their \ Strength and protector, 2, 3, detail the chief circumstances in the overthrozc of the Egpt/lians, 4 — S, and relate the purposes ihei/ had formed, for the destrnction of God's people, <), and hoxo he destroyed them in the imaginations of their hearts, 10. Jehovah is celelnated, for the perfections of his nature and his Kondrous zcorks, 11^13. yl prediction of the effect, nhich the account of the destruction of the Egyptians should have on the Edomites, Moabites, and Canaanites, 14— 1(). J prediction of the eslulillshment of Israel in the promised land, 17. The full cho7-us of praise, 18. Recapitulation of the destruction of the Egyptians, and the deliverance of Israel, iQ. Miiiani and the women join in and prolong the chorus, '10, 'Jl. The people travel three days in the wilderness of Siiur, and find no xcater, 22. Coming to Mtirali, and fnding bitter waters, they murmur against Moses, 23, 44. In ansK'cr to the prayer of Moses, God shews him a tree by which the ziaters are szceetened, 25. God gives them statutes and gracious promises, 26. Theij come to Eliin, where they find twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trccii, ami there they encamp, 27.

THEN sang 'Moses and the j ciiildren of Israel, this song | unto the Lord; and spake, saying,! I will " sing unto the Loud, for he '

hath triumphed gloriously: the horse A.Ji.aaia. and his rider, hath he thrown into i^cw'Jl

NOTES ON CIl.Vl'. XV. Verse 1. Then sn«tf.1/o.s-f.s and the children of Israel this soit'^] PoETTiV liiis betii cultivated in all ages, and amonij all peu]jle, from the most refined to the most barbarous; and to it, jirincipally, under the kind providi.iiee of Cod, wc are indebted for most of the oiii^inal accounts we have of the ancient nations of tlie universe. Equally measured lines, with a harmonious coJlociition of expressive, sonorous, and sometimes highly metapliorical terms, the alternate lines either answerin|r to caeh other in sentc, or ending' with similar soimd.t, were easily committed to memory, and easily retained. As these were often accompanied with a ])leasinar air or tune, the subject lieinij a eoncattnation of strikin;^ and interesting events, hislorles formed thus, became the amusement of youth, the softeners of the tedium of labour, and e-ven the solace of age. In such a way the histories ot most nations have been preserved. The interesting events ce'lebrated, the rj/tliin or metre, and the accompanying' tune or recitativo air, rendered them easily transmissible to posterity; and by means of tradition, they pass-eil safely from father to son, through the times of comparative darbtess, till they arrived at those ages in which the pen and the /);y.«.n, have given them a sort of deathless duration and permanent stability, by miiltiijlying the copies. i\Iany of the ancient historic and heroic British tales, are continued by tradition, among tlie aboriginal inhabitants of Ireland to the present da\'; and the repetition of theni constitutes the chief amusement ot' the winter evenings. Even the prose histories, which vere written on the gr-Mind of the poetic, copied closely their evenij^lars; and the hijtorians themselves were obliged to study ail the beuutics and orn/nncnts of style, that their works might heccme popular; and to this circumstance we owe not a small measure of what is termed refinement of lavguai^c. How observable is this in the history of Herodotus, who aj^pears to have closely copied the ancient poetic records, in his inimitable and harmonious prose; and that his books might bear as near a resen.iblance as possible, to the ancient imd popular originals, he divided them into jiine, and dedicated each to one of the 7IIIISC.1. His \iork therefore seems lo occupy the same place between the ancient poetic compositioyis and mere prosaic histories, as the poli/pe does between plants and animals. jMuch even of our sacred records, is written in poetry, which Go'l has thus consecrated to be the faithful transmitter of remote and important events; and of this, the sonir before the reader is a proof in point. Though this is not the first specimen of [loetry we have met with in the Pentateuch, see Lamech's.speech to his wives, Gen. iv. 2o, 24. Noah's propliecy concerning his sous,,chap. ix. 25 — 27. and Jacob's blessing to the twelve patriaj-chs, chap, xli.x. 2 — 27. and the notes theie; yet it is the firet regular ode of any cimsiderablc length, having but one subject.; aiidttisali written in /i(v,;z.<'k7(,'.-, or half lines, the usual J'onu m 1 lebrew poetry; and though this form fretju<'ntly occur.-, it is ml attended lo in om- common printed Hebrew Bibles, fxcepl in this and three other places, Ueut. xxxii. Judg. v. and 2 Sam. xxii. all of wiiich siiall be noticed as they occur. But ill Dr. Kennicott's edition of the liebrew Bible, all the poetry, u'heruBucver it occurs, ispriuted in its own hewistich form.

After ^^hat has been said, it is perhaps scarcely necessary to observe, that as sucli ancient poetic histories commemorated great and extraordinary displays of ]'rovidcnce, coitrage^ strength, fidelity, heroism, and Jiicty; hence the origin of epic poems, of which the song in this chapter is the enrliest specimen. And on the principle of preserving the memory of.such events, most nations have had their epic poets, who have gentrally taken for tlk-ir.-ubject, the most splendid or most remote events of their coimtry'.s history, which either referred to the formation or extension of their empire, the e.rploits of their aiice.''tors, or the establishment of their religion. Hence the ancient Hehrews had their Shir ha?,Iosheh, the piece in question: the (lUEEKs iheir Ilias: the Hindoos their J'ahtdmrat; the RoJiANs their JEncis -. the!SroRWEni.\NS thtir Kdda: the Ini'-H and.Scotch their Fingal and Chronological Poems: the W F.Lsn their Taliessin and his Triads: tlie'AuABS tlteir i\'ebiiin- Ntriich (exploits of Mohammed) and Hamleh Heedry (exploits of.\ly:) the Pkrsi.vns their.Sh.\h IS'aineh (hook of kings:) the Tr.ii.i.ANstheir Gerusalenunc Liberata: the Portcgcese their Liisiad: the English their Paradise Lost: and, in humble I imitation of all the rest (etsi • on passihus ccquisj the French I their Jlcuriade.

of the dund>, and made the tongues of iifanls eloi/uenl: ch. x. 2J,