Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verae 14. And!\£Met feared\ He saw that the laraelilea were not «a yet prepared to leave their bondage; and diAt ttwi^ Gh>d had caiBed him to be their leader, yet nia pro- Tidsooe bad not yet mffieiently opened the way; and bod ha ataid in Egypt he unut have endangered hia life. Prudence therefor* dictated ao escape for the preaent to the land of Mkltan.

Terse 16. PharatA — wughl la Mlay Afosec — but MoetJt JUd/rom the Jace ([f Pharaoh] How can this be reconciled with HeL jti 27. By faith ht (^<Meti)foraook Egypt, netjharing the vrtuh m th» king? — Very easily: the apostle speaks not of thit forsaking of Egypt, but of hia ood the laraelilea final departure from it; and of the bold and eourageous manner m which Moses treated Pharaoh and the E^rptians, disregarding his threatening and ihe nultiindes of them that pursued after the people, whoin, in the name and strength of Ood, be led, m the lace of ibeir enemies out of Egypt.

DvxU in the land y il^ian] A country generally ■nppoaod to have been in Arabia Petrea, on the eastern coast of ujc Red sea, not far from mount Sinai. This place is ■till called by the Arabs, the iMnd qf Midian, or the Land *r Jethro. Abul Farajixta calls it tht landnf the Ardbt. V, is aui^KMed that the Midianites derived their origin from Miidki^ the fourth aon of Abraham by Keturan, thiu; Abhihuis Smran, Jokalian, Medan and Midian, Rague), Jeibroi see Cten. xxv. 1, But CtOmet coolcnda, that if Jethro had been of the family of Abraham, either by Jokafcon or Midian, Aaron ana Miriam csuld not have repwdwd Mosea with marrying a CvthUe. Zinporoh, the oaugfater of Reueh He thinks therefore that die Midianilea were of the progeny of CaJi, the aoa of Itam; see Qan. X. 0.

Verse lA. The priat qf l^RdioMl Or}»^nc«, or both: ftr the original, \ra eohm has both meanings. See it explained atlarg^s Gen. xv. IS. The transaction here very nearly reaembles that mentioned in Oen. uix. concerning Jacob and Rachel; see the notes there.

Terse 17. The thefherda— drove lhem\ The verb dsrtp yegarethvm, being in the maaculiae gender, seems la imply that tbe shepherds drove away the jloc&a of Reuel's daagnters, and not the dau^Uere themselves. Hie fact •Bems to be, that as the daughters of Rauel filled the troua^s, mad brought their. flocks to drink, the shepherds drove those •w^, aiM pTofitiw by the young women's labour, watered ttwirowneaule. Mosas resisted this insoleoce, and aseisted daexn lo water their flocks; in consequence of wbiidi, they were enabled to return much aoooer than they were wont to dOb m. 1ft

▼eras 1ft Heuel Ihetr /oAerl In Numb. x. 29. diis perasB Is called Raguel; but the Hebrew is the same in both iMWsL The reason of this diflerence is, that the p din in W>r> is sometimes used merely as a voted, sometimes as a

&ttg, and gn, and this is oecasiaud by the difficult of Booodi which scarcely any Eurtfisan organs can «nun> As pronounced oj die AndM^ it su^ugly resemUes diBflnteflan nadebi throat in gargUng, or aa M«- niado aajs, asf vox vUitli matnm voeaniU, it is like tba

19 And. they said. An Egyptian delivered us Out of the hand of the shepherdB, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

SO And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may 'eat bread.

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses * Zipporah hia daughter.

22 And she bare Aim a son^ and he called hit name » Gershom: " for he stud, I have been * a stranger in a strange laud.

23 If And it came to pass ' in process a c *' iB

of time, that the king of Egypt died:

and the children of Israel ' sighed by^ reason of the bondage, and they cried, and ' their cry carae up tmto God bv reason of the bondage.

34 And God * heard their groaning, and God "remembered his ^covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

sound mode by a calf in seeking its dam. Raguel is tba worst method of pronouncing it; Re-u-el, the first syll^ile strungly accenteo, is nearer to the true sound. A pr(^>er uniformin in pronouncing the same word wherever it may occur, eitner in the Old or New Testament, is greatly to be desired. The person in question appears to have several names. Here he is coiled Raid; in Numb, x. 29. Raguel; in Exod. iii. I. Jdhro; in Judg. iv. 11. Hobab, ana in Judg. i, 16. he is called '■i^P ICeym, which in tba 4th chap, we translate KeaUe. Some suppon that As-vsl was Guher to Bobab, who was also ealled Jetbro. Hub ia the most likely; see the note on chap. iii. 1.

Verae 20. That he may tat fcreotf] That he may be entertained, and receive refreshment to proceed on hia journey, oread, among the Hebrews, woa used to signiAr ail kinds ijf food, commonly used fcv the support (n man's life.

Verse 21. Zimorah hia daughler] Abu] Farajiiu calls her ' ' SajAura the Maek, daughter ofReteel the Midionite, the son of Dcdon, the son of Abraham by hts wife Ketaroh." The Twguni calls her tiie granddaughter of Reuel. It appeara that Moses obtained Zipporah, something in tha same way diat Jacob obUuned Rachel; namely, fbr the performance of certain services; probably keepu^g of sheept see chap. iii. 1.

Verae 22. Called hie name Gerahomi _ Literally n etranser — the reason of which Mosea immediately adds— for I have been an alie?{ in a strange land.

The Vulgate, the Septua^int, as it stands in the Compluiensian Polyglott, and m several MSS. the Syriae, the Co;rf£c, and the Arabic, add the following words to this vers^ And the name <f the second he called EUezer ijbr the God qf my^alher has been my kelp, and delivered me from the hand qf Phara*A. Tmese words are found in chap, xviii. but they are certainly necessary here, for it is very likely that these two sons were born within a short space of eocli other; for in cliap. iv. 20. it is said, Mosea took bis wife and his soks, by which il is plain, that he had both Oerahom and Eliezer at that time.- Hwbigant introduces this addttion^in his Latin version, and contends thaU this is its most proper place. Notwithstanding the authority of the above versions, the clause is found in tu copy printed, or MS. of the Hebrew text.

Verse 23. Inproeeas qf (iww the king <f Egypt died} According to St. Stephen (Acts vii. 30. compared with Exod. vii. 7.) the death of the Egyptian king h^ened about /oj-^ yean afta-die escape of Moses to Mtdion. The H^rew words on:* cam iw J w va-ychi ba-yamim ho'rabbim Ka-hejn, which we translate. And it came lo pasa in proceaa qf time, signily, And it was in many daya from theaa, that the kms. dbc. It has already been remarked, that Archbishop Usher supposes tliis king to Iffive been Ramesa Afiamun, who was succeeded by his son Amenophis, who was drowned in the Red sea, when pur* suing the lemclitcs; bni Abtd F\irajiua aajB itwas Amui^ falhu, (Amenophis) be who made the cruel edict agunit the Hebrew children.

Some suppose that Moses wrote the book of Job during dw time he sojourned in Midian, uid also the book m Geneti*.

Sighed by reaaen qf the bondage] For die nature of dieir Doudoge, see on chap. L 14.

Verse 241 God ranCembered hia covanani] God's covenant is God's engagement— lie had promiiea to Abrft-

Aod. God ' looked upon the t^AdvAll of

!i«<p.i:, l<— IT. InpVww hkra ml ilm iHtnU laml, ru ijjpij' uniuPh^n. 'i 'rf- priojHirn LD fit ihm Jkjl' Jmuwy loid UnwiiWiHiu aiEnVq tuni iJil Lwsj, \i, HdnrLalii Lhu alirtiiuirv ni ilv r.Qt'iiu kliw. kill djr >»lf>«4Tm)Mb ii

TQWjyEowH IsSftt fte flMsk of Jel^o faun, to Ibuc, and to Jacobs to eive their potlerit^ a land flowing with milk and honey, £c Ibey are now nnder Ae moat oppraaatve bondage and tfaia wna die moM proper time for God to Amw ttwm his mercy and power in fulfilliox hia promise, "ntis u all diat is meant by God's rmanaerii^ his covenant, for it was nmo that be began to eive it its effect verse 23. And God had raped unto than] gt^m vaiytdA Elokim — God kntw them, i. e. h« apprmtA of them, and therefore it is said that Iheir crv came up 6t/br« Qod, and h» heard (A«ir groaning. Tht word p*r*yadd, to know, in the Hebrew Biblk as well as yiiHr*M in (he Greek Testament, arc frequenUy used in the sense of approving; and because God Anets, had remec^ ibr, and apBrottd of them, therefore he was deURnined to deliver uiem. For vrfm Elokim, GOD, in the last clause of this verse, Houbigant reads dh^n atihati, upon TfHM: which is countenanced by the Vulgate, Septua- e'lU, Qtaldoe, Q^Me, and Arahie, and appears to have sn the original reading. Hie difKrence m the original, consists of me interchange of two letters, the ^ yod and rt hi. Our translators insert unto tkem, in order to mako up that sens^ whieh this various reading gives without troidile.

The fivther we proceed in the Sacred Writings^ the more the history botn of the grace and providence of God opens to our view. He ever cares for his creatures, and is mindful of his promise. The very means made use of to destroy his work, are, in his hands, the instrtiments of its aeoompliahmenL niaraoh orders the male children of the HebrewB to be thrown into the river — Moses, who was thus exposed, is found by his own daughter, brought up as her own son; and from his Egyptian education, becomes much better qualified for the great work to which God had called him; and his being obliged to leave ^ypt, was undoubtedly a powerfcl means to wean his heart from a land in which he had at his command si) the advanti^es and hixnries of life. His sojoomhig also in a strange land, where he was obliged to earn his bread by a very pmofiil employment, fitted him for the perilous joumCT he was obliged to take in the wiMbmasB^ and enabled Dim to bear the better the privations to iriiieh be was in consequence exposed.

fnie bondar»o( die Israelites was. also wisely permitted, diat tbnmint widi less reluctance leave a country where diey had suwred the greatest oppression and indignities. BUd (hey not suiTared sewely, Meviciia to their depiutnfe. there is much reason to belie va, that no indacemento eoald have been sufficient to have prevailed on them to leave h. And yet their leaving it was of infinite consequence, in the order both of grace and providence, as it was indispensably neoessary that they ahrald be a peqide separ noed from all the reat of the world, that tfaey might see the promises of God fulfilled tmder thnr own eyes, and thus have the fullest persuasion diat their law was divine, their pn^heta inspired by the Most High, and that the Meuiah came according to the prophecies before delivered concerning him.

Prom me example of Pharaoh's daughto-, (see sole ver. 4.) and the seven daughters of Je^tro, (ver. 16.^ we learn tfuU in the days of primitive simplicity, and in tnis respect the best days, the children, particolerly the daughters of persons in the highest ranks in life, were employed in the most laborious offices. Kings' danglers performed the office of the taundrtoo to lljeir own fcmiliea: and the dangfaters df princes tended and watered Ate flocks. We havs nan similar instaBess in dM case ot IttbJbak and Aodksf; and wa eaimot be too pointod in calliiv ^ utentkm of modem ddicata fbrnues, wfao are not on)^ above serving their own parents and aunily, but even their own selves; the conaevuence of viaxiti im. they have nnthsr vigour nor healui; their growdi, wr wtuat of cUan: and he ted Hie flock t6 bacStiMe oTtte desert, and came to < tbe moantain m <m«

2 And ^ the angel of the Lord appeared onto him in a Aame of nre, out of the mi^st of abuah: and he looked, and, behold, the bueh bnrnea with fire, and the bush vas not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn ande*' and see this • great sight, wby the bush is nol burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he tamed aside to see. God called ^unto him out of the midstof the bush, and said, Moses/noses. And he said. Here am L

healtfay exercise, is generally enunped, their nattual powers are jvemMurely developed, ana ifaeir wftole course is rather an apolo^ for Uviog, than a state of eiptti»» Ufc. Many of tbase live not out Mtf their days, and tbair offspring, when they have any, is more fMile than ibomselves; so that t!m race of man, where such fnaasteroBs conduct is followed, and where is it not fbtlowed? is in a state of gradual deterioration. Parents, who wish to fulfil the intention of God and nature, will doubtless see it thsir duty to bring up their children on a different plan. A worse than toe present can scarcely be found out.

j\ffttctunu, under the direction of God's providence^ and the influences sf his grace, are often the means of leading men to pray tO| and acknowledge God, who in the time of their proaperity, hardwied their necks from liia fear. When the Israeutes were sorely oppresssd, tb^ began to pray. If the cry of oppnanfm had not been among them, probably the cry lor mercy had not been heard, "niouni afflictions, considered in themsdve% can neither atone Ibr rin, aor improve the moral stale of the iou^ yet God often uses them as means to bring siimera to lumsel^ and to quicken those, who, having already eacaped the pollutions of the world, were falling agam undor die influence of on enrdily mind. Of many miUrooa besides David, it may truly be said, before they wm afflicted, they went astray.

Verse 1. JeHiro kit /atlur-in-law] Concerning -Jediro. see the iKito on chap. ii. 13. Learned men are not agned on the signification of the word v>t\ thoten, viaea we tranilato JhAer-terlaiOh and \rtudt in Genesis xix. '14. we trans Uto son-tn-lstp. It seems to be a genenl term for a rdoHv* by marriage, and the connexion only in which it stands, can determine its precise meanii^. (t ts very possible mot Aeuel was now dead, it being farw years since Moses came to Midian] that Jethro was im son, and had succeeded him in his office of prince mat priest of Mtdian; dtat Zipporah was dte sirter of Jeihi^ and that consequent^ the word inn choien, should ks translated brotter-^n-une in dris placa, as we learn tnm Gen. xxxiv. 9. Deut. vii. 3. Joan, xxiii. 12, and oAsr places, that it simply signifles to contratt t^fitUty bf marriage. If this conjecture be ri^M, we m^ well sapposs that Reuel being dead. Moses was continued by his Wntber-in-law Jemro in na same enploynMnt he had Boder his &thar.

Jldbunfoin ^ Gtodl Sonetiines named Arrefr, at cdter tnnes SinaL Tht mountain itself bad two peaka, one was called £E>refr, the other Stnai. Horeb was pt^ bably the primitive name of the mountain, whidi was afterward called the m«iintaan iff ^od, because Chid ■{>- peared upcm it to Moses; and mount Sinai, w fmn rot tenth, a tnuh, because it was in a huA, or brranWi^ in a flame of fire, uiai this appearance was made.

Verse 2. TV angd the Lord] Not a created aB> gel certainly; for lie is called i-nrri Jdtovah, ver. 4, dbe. and has the most expressive attributes of tne Godhead applied to him, ver. 14, dec Tet be is an '"*g^ maiae, a messoiger, in whom was the name of God, chap, xxiii. zt. and in wnoin dwelt all. the ftiloeas of the Godhead bodily. Col. iL 9. and who, in all these primitiVs times, was die messenger of mt covenant, Mai. iii. 1. And who was this but Jesos, the Leader, lUdeemer, ant Seriour of mankind 1— See the note on Gen. xvi 7.

Ajtametfjtre out ofOu midoti^ Sit friisA] Fb* was not only among the Hebrews, but also among many other ancient nations, a very significant emblem of im Deby. God aeoomnualed tne firselites ia all Aeir joor* neytngs througfa me wiklemea as a pillar of fire *y •aiffiX.; and prooaUy a fire or flame in the Holy of Hofie^ between ths Oharniim, was the general symbol of his presBnoet and iradWoDsof tbsse Amg^ which, amstbKva

b And he said, Dr&w not niflh hither: kp^t off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest ia holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, > I am the God of thy Aither, the God of Abraham, the Godof iBaac, •Ml the God <rf' Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for ■ he was afraid to look upon God. '

7 K And the Imw eaid, I have sur^ seen the ■flietion of my jpaople which are in Bgypti and ^have heard their cry, ' bjr reason of their t«skmastera; for 'I know their sorrowa;

6 ADd 1 1 am come down to ' deliver them out of the band of the Egyptians, aod to bring them up out of that lana *unto a good land aui a lai^e, unto a land ^ flowing with milk and honev; unto the place of " the Canaanites, and the Hittitea, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the HiviteB, and the Jebusttes.

9 Now therefore, behoU, * the cry of the children of Israel is come unto m«: alia I have also seen the * oppression wherewith the Keyptiana oppress them.

beea current in the Eut, have probablr Kiren birth, not naly to the pretty gemnl opinion that God appsara ia the ^ifc^^M (rf fin, but to the whole of the Zoroatirian *y»- Umjf fin worMp. It has been reported of Zoroaster, or Zindui^ that having retired to a moontain tor the study of viaaom, and the benefit of eolituds, the whole taoQntam ma one day envehiped with flame, out of the saUist of which he came without receiving any injury; on ■«4iieh he oSered Mcrifieee to Ood, wBo, be was per- ■uaded, had then appeared to him. M. Anqueti) du Perron ^vee nnidt curious information on this suMect in bk ZandAvtalOt The modem PareeesoaU fire the offsprio^ of Ormued, and wonfaip it with a vast variety of ceremooiea.

Among the fr^menta attributed to jEsoiylus, and ool- Iseiad bf 8iaal^, in his iimdaable edition (rf this poet, pL047. CM. Lvefiodthf following beauttfulmses;

"Disttaguiah God trom mortal men; and do not aup- |toss Aat any thing fledily i> like unto mm. ■ Tbou know- •st bin not: aoweiimea indeed be appears ae BiformUa* and impUwma naa — ■omeiimea as water — sometimes as U^ek 4lmricHMt" The poet proceeds:

*"nie tnountaios, the earth, the deep and extansive sas, aad the sonmats of lbs biriwst mountain^ tmablsi wtwaever the tsrriUs sye of Us SapBema Lord looks down ■poatfasin.''

These an very isnaikabls fragnnta and seau all to be sMseied fromtroditiooa relative to the different manifestatiena of God to the Israelites in Bvypt, and in the wikterneaa. HMeawidiedtoseeGod,buthBcouldbehold nothing but as iitdtKriboble giory t nothing like mortala, nothing like a ktman kotfy, appeared at any time to his mre, or to iboaeof thslsraeliies. " Ye saw no manner of similitude," said Moses, "oo ihs di^ that die Lord apske unto you w Hsnht outof the laidM of the naa," Deuk iv. Ifi. But BOBawianes <im dnrins power and iufdee wars manifestsd hj lbs indtaeHhahl*, fwmluM, tmpelwnu, catmming jtaSM— at other timea ne sppcarcd by the vojer which he brooght out of the flinty rook — and m the Otiek darknet OD Horeh^ whan the Jury isip proeeeded from hit ri^t hand, then the earth quaked and the stounloui trmbUd: aad lAm his lerribU eye looked out open the Egyptian^ Muoogh dn pUlav of owud and Sn, mar diariot-whesls wera stnisk oC and confasion and dismay ware qiread OuoaA all tbs boots sf Phsnoh, Ezod. ziv. 24, 26.

AM(A«friuAiSaeno<esfMum«(l] 1. An smUsm of the ■Meof Istael in its various distreaase and persecutioaB; it WBsiaihsteofadversity^ but was nDtoonaomed. 2. An •■UsMalioof the stale « the ohureh of Ood in the wildernsBSk fai perssentioos ofkea — in the midat of its enemies — in As rsciDB of As shadow of death— yet not consumed. 3. An eaiBlw also of the sMaofsvoy follower otOirist— cast down, but not fbnaken — grievously tempted, but not Jeisroyed — walking throng the fire, butaUll uoconsumod I Whyaroall tfasss preserved in the midst of those things whwb hays a natural tendency to destrov them? "*«—t' Ooois m m HtDsrorTBOBM— it was this that preserved the buah from deatmetioa-^aad it was this that preserved the ImeHtaa— and it ia thia, and this alone, that preaervee the Aurehi and holds the soul of every aeauiae believer in dieqrirituu liib. Ha in wfaoss bsart Qirist dwalla not by fci^wgl aoon bs soBsuinadby thawnk^dwflsd^aad

TscaalL Aif^%dhost] b to Uhaly, that from this riimnilaBm, all lbs sastsra aatians have agreed to per- Am aU lbs aecs of their rdwioos worship barefooted. All As Mohammedsna, Bndunnis, and Paraees, do so stiH. Hm Jews wees Muarksd Jin iltisiaAs tins of Jnrenal:

houe he speaks of their performing theirnered rites bors-.^otod: &r.vi.v. 168.

OliwnBt nU faU ■wn pat( nbbiu np*.

IlieaneieptehwdcBdkllheHjaai JambUeusbindts Ufbef Pythagoras, tells us, that ibis was ooe of bis maxims—

■in.r*rMTt( jui aiuircomi*!) — nffm" toeryice, md wrAipi inik your shoe* t{f. And Solinua aaserta^^ that no person was permitted to enter into the temple of Diana, in Crete, Ull he had taken off his ■hoes. "iSdein Ntaainu (Ditaua) prmtvrauan nudus vesligio nuJius Ueitd ingndituT." Tertulhan observes, de Jijunie, that in a time of dim^U, the vorabtppers of Jupiter deprecated bia wrath, and prayed for rain, walking barefooted. "Cum stupet ocehun, et arst ansus, nudiped^Uia denuneiantur." It is prob^ils that cfygt nedUm, in the text, aieDifies eondoie, tranalaled by the Chaldee?i)e tandal, Knat^tm somtoii^ see Oen. ziv. 23. wbicb was the same as the Roman eofea, a sole alone, strapped about the fooL Aa this sole must let in dual, gravel, and aaad about the foot in travelliile, and render it very uneasy, hence the custom of frequentw wosMng the feet in those countries, where these aaDdafs were' worn. Ptdting Ae sAoe* was, therefor^ an emblem of laying aside the pottuiuMu contracted bjr wUiKngia the wogr v those who name the Lord Jesus

Christ depart from inimti^. In our westnn eoirairie% reverence is expreseed pulling off the Aoi; but bow much mora rignifieant ia the eastern custom I

Tie pioce taJkercon Oum ttandest is My ground\ h, was now particularly aanctified by the Divine Preaence: but if w« may eredit Joaepfaua, a general opinion had {nevsiled that God Aoelt on thai mwntain; and hence the abepbsrds, considering it as sacred ground, did not (tan to fesatbnr flocks there. Hoses, however, finding the soil to be rich, and the pasturage good, boldly drove bia flock thither to feed on iL — AnUq. b. II. c xii. s. 1.

Verse 6. / am Ihe Ood qf thy father} Though the word obi, fa&er, is here uaed in the singular, Su Stephen, quoting thia place. Acta vii. 32. uaes the plural, Ae Ood tty rATOsas; aiul that thia is the meaning the fbllowiog words prove — The God <tf Abnham, dis God of ~ Iwae, and tba God ttf Jacob. Umbs were the fbdtus of Hoses in a direct line. Ilia reading is confirmed by the SanarUon and by the Ceptie. AsBAHAM was the fother of tlie Jthmac/t/M, and with hhn was the eovenant first made, Isaac waa the father of lbs Bdm^Mm^ aa well aa the laraeiites, and with him vSs the covenant rtauwid, Jacob was the iniher ^ the twelve padiardu, wito wese founders of tlie JewiA nation; and to biro ware tba promises parHaUarly eom/hmed. Henoe ws see, that tba Arabo and TStrkM in genial, who are desoeodsnlB of JUmaet; lite Edamita, now absorbed among the Jewa^ see the note on Geo. xxv. 23. who are Um desoendants ik Emm; and the Jinm«ft V*ople, wheresoever aeatlered, who are the descendanta of Jacob, are all heirs of the promises included in this primitive covenant; and their gatbsriag in, with lbs fulness of the Qentilei, may be eoofldently azpeeted.

And Moeeo htahiejiue] For similar acts, see the passage* referred to in the ma^n. A woe qfimd to look — be was overawed by Ood'a jnwmet, and mnled with tba aplaodour of the appearance.

iog, I have sewi — I have not only seen the afflictions of this people, because I am omniscient; but I have cooaidered their sorrows, and mine eye aflecta my heart.

VerseS. Am /oneomedovntodsttverAsm] Thia is the very porposs fiw which I am now come down upon this mountain t and for wbidi I maniCMt myaelf to thee.

Large ImaJ Cannui, when compared widi the small tract at Oosheo, in which they were now aitualed, and where, we lean, from ohap. i. tbey were straitened for room, might be well called a lar/re land; see a fine deseripoon of this land, Deut. vUi. 7.

A Uutd fiowitilf teUh milk and honey] ExceUpat for

10 " Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel, out of E£ypt.

ll-TTAnd Mosee said unto God, rWho am I, that I should ^o unto Pharaoh, and that I inould bring forth the children of Israel out of

12 And he said, ' Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have eent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye Bhall serve God upon this mountain.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say

MaturagSi because aboumling in the most wholMOSK IiQrbBgv and flowers; and from the latter an ^Mindanee of ^rild honey waa collected try the bees. Though cultivation iinowalmoBt entirely neglected in this tan^ because of the badness of the government and the Bcandneu of the inhaliitantt^ vet it is still good for pasturage, and yields an abundance m honey. Hie terma used in the text to ezpreM the fertility of this land, are commonly used by ancient authors on similar subjects. It is a metiuihor taken from B breaat, producing copious strearaa of milk. Homer ealls ArgDs, nl»p apn^nt, the breawt iff the eouniry, as •ffiinlb>K ttreams of milk and hotter. IL iz. ver. Ul. So Virgil,

" The land that first produoed you, shall raceive you again into its joyous hoeom.'*

'Rie poets feign that Bacchus, the feble of whom th^ have uiken irom the history of Hoses, produced rivm <« milk and honey, of water and wine;

"Thelandflowa with milk t it flows also with wine; it flows also with the nectar of bees (honey.") This seems to be a mere poetical copy from the Pentateuch, where the sameness of the metaphor, and llie correspondence of the descriptions are obvious.

Terseli. Whonm I, tiiat lAouldbring] Hewaaso Mttafied that this was beyond Aw power, and all the means that he possessed, that he ia astonished that even God himaelf should appoint him to this work! Such indeed was the bondage ot the children of lereel, and diie power 4rf the people by whom Ihey were enslaved, thai had not their deliverance come through supematurul means, their escape had been utterly impossible.

Versa IS. Certainly I will be with thee] Thit great went shall uot be left to thy wisdom and to Ay power— my eounscl shall direct thee; and my power ntall bring all these mighhr things to pass.

And thie shall be a token] Literally, And this to thee for a eign, i. e. this miraculms mantflBstation (rf ^e burning bush; shall be a proof that I -have sent thee; or, my being vrWt thee to encourage thy heart, ■treng^n ihy hands, and enable thee to work miracles, shall be to ■thyself aed to otherg the evidence of thy divine mission.

Ye ahail serve God on Aie mountain] l^is was not tfie sign, but God shows him tliat on their return from Rgyp^ tney should take this motmtain in their way, and should worship him in this place. There may tw a jnophctie allusion here to the giving of the law on moont Sinai. As Moses received his commanda here, so likewise should the Israelites receive theirs in the same plaoe. After all, the Divine Being aeems to testify a partiaJ predilection for this mountain. See the note on ver, 6.

Verse 13. T^j^aAoiiaa^TT/tiif is ^ nome?] Does not this suppose that the Israelites had an idolatrous notion oven of the Supreme Beingi ITiey had probablv drunk deep into the Egyptian superstitions, and had gods many, and lords manyt and Hoses eonjeemred, that hearing of a supernatural delivemnce, they would intjuire who that Ood was, by whom it was to be efTeeted. The reasons given here by the rabbins are too refined for the Israelites at this time. When God, aay Oit^,judgeth iiis creatures, he is called orrfm BtohiTn. Whim he warreth against the wicked, he ia callad rvMM taebaothi but when he dioweth mercy unto the world, he ia called mrp Yehovah. It ia not likaly that the Israelilea had madi kaowle^ God or of hta ways, at the time to which ih« sama text nftni it is GflrMin they had no wtttm word— the book

unto them. The God of yonr flLthers hath Mnt me unto you; and they shall say to me. What is his name? what shall I say unto them t

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, * I AM hath sent rae unto

15 IT And God said moreover onto Moses, Thus shait thou^ay unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is ^mv name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

of Genesis, if even written, (for some suppose it had been composed by Moses during his residence in Midian) had not yet been commuoicatea to tlie people; and being mo long without any revelation, and perhaps without even ihejorm of divine worship, their minds being dcjgraded bv the Btue of bcmdage in which they had been so long hel<^ and seeing and hearing little in religion, but the supeiatitions ot raose amoig whom they sojourned, they coutd have no distinct notion of The Divine Being. Mosea fainO' self might have been in doubt at first on this subject; and he seems to have been greatly on his guard against illusion: bonce he asksa varie^ of 4ueBtions,and endeavours, hy all prudent means, to assure himself of the truth a^d certainly of the present appearance and eommissifni. He well knev the pover of die Egyptian magiciani^ and he could not tell fimn these first views, whether there might not have been some delusion in this case. God, therefore, gives him the fullest proof, not only for the satisfection of uie people to whom he was to be sent, but for his own fuH conviction, that it was the Supreme God who now qkoin to him.

Ver«e 14. I am that I am] tkw -wph mw Eawvm aaher Ehevbh. These words have been variously under* stood. The Vulgate translates — Eoo nw Qin bom, / <xm ■tehoam. The Septuaginf — t-ym nf^ t u,. J am, he -scAo exists. The Syriae, the Persic, and ihe ChadtUt, prtotj iie the original words, without any gloss. The Arabic i»n fhrases diem — The Eternal, tMo noMes not owssy; which is the same interpretation given dv Abut Faraji^^ who alio preserves the original words, and eivea iba above aa'their interpret^on. The TVirgimof JmsoAah, aiMl the Jerasalem Targum, parajriu-aae the words tliu*— "He who spake, and the world was — who spake, aad all things existed." As the original words literally mm^ nify, IwiU ba vhal I triil be, some have suppoaeid thai God simply designed to inform Moses, that what be had been to his fiuhers, Abraham^ Isaac, and Jacobs be would be to him and the Israelites, and that ho would perform the promises be had made 10 hia £illMr^ te' giving their deseendanu the promised land. It ia difl^ cult to put a meaning on the words; ihey seem iateiMSed to point out the ^emity and ae^-exislvnce of God. — See the conelusion of this chapter, and on. the word J^utvah^ chap, xxxiv. 6. and 7.

Verse 15. TTtis ia my name for ever] Thenanoebera referred to is that which immefUatety precedes, dvi^ men Yehovah EMiim, which we translate the Loan God, tbe name by which God htxd been known from the creatioa of the world, (see Gen. ii.'4,) and the oame by i^uob he is known among the same people to the present iimy. Even the heathens knew this iwune of the true God; and hence out of our mn» YAmak, they formed their Jao^ Jete, and Jmei so that the word has been literally f^. filled — "litis nmy memorial unto <M generations. See the note on the word Elohim^ Gen. i. 1. As 10 be setfexistent and eternal must be attributes of God for ever, does it not follow that the D^iiV la-Mam, for ever, in Lb« text, signifies eternity. " This is my name to eteniii^— and my memorial," Udor dor, "to all aucoeedu^ generati(ma." While human seneiuionB eontinued, 1m should be callad the God of Abraham, the Ood of Inac, and the God of Jacob; hut when time-^ould be no more, he should be Jehovah EJohim. Hence the first ezjve*- sion ref»rs to his eternal existence, the iaSler to the discovery he should make of himeelf as long aa time should last. See Gen. xxi. 33. Diodorus Siculua sa^ tkmt " among the Jews, Hoaes is reported to have received hie laws ftim the God named Joo, " i. e. Jtma, Jiove, or JeV4; for in all tbeaa waya the wold nw VUomA, msKj' be pmouooed i and in tnia wy I have sem it.fm £gyptian momnnsn^— Vaa DM. hb. 1. e. x«iv<

16 Go, and • gather the elderi of Israel toeether and say unto them. The Lord God of «Hir mthera, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unlo me, saying. I have gorely visited you, and seen that which ia done to you inE'Vpt:

17 And rhave said, • I will brmg you up out of the affliction of E^pt, unto the laod of the Canaanites, and the Hitlitea, and theAmorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land Aoving with milk and honey.

18 And ' they shall hearken to thy voice: and K thou Bhalt come, thou and the eMers of Israel, unto the king of E^ypt, and ye shall say unto him. The Loitd God of the Hebrews hath met wi^us:>and now let us go, we beseech thee,

Tene 16. Eldera of Itnull Though it is not likely ibe H^fetn wer« permitted to have any r^ular govemmant at diii time, yet there can be no doubt of their having Mich a government in the time of Joaeph, and for ■ome eoniideruile time after; the elders of each tribe faming a kind of court at magistrate^ by which all ■Dtiooa were tried, and legal decinone made, in the Israelitjah eonununit^.

/AoM tardy viaUed)kmi1 An exact fdlfilment of the predictioa of /oMph, Cten. [. 24.— Gtorf vriil furdy viaU you — and in the nme worda too.

TenelS. TTtey *AaU Adanfccn lo Ay voice] lliiseMnnace waa neceuary to encourage him ib aa enterprise to ' dani|nroua aiul important.

T%ret day^ journey into the wiWemew] Evidently intending twunt Sinm, which ia reputed to be about three days' journey, the sbortert way, from the land of Goehen. la ancient times, distances were computed, by the Mm« required to pass over them. Thus, instead of milt3,furlcng». Ax. it was eaid the distance from one place to ' goHKher was so many daifa, so many hourt journey; and it ooatiauea the same in all countries where there are no ranlar roads or highvm.

verse 19- iamaureAatthekingofBai^wUlnotltt ym g», no, not by a migfUy handJ] When the fiicts de- ■•ileo in this history have been considered in connexion with the aaaertion as it stands in our Bibles, the most palble contradiction has appeared, lluit the kin^ of il did let them go, and that by a mighty hand, the itself amply declares. We should therefore seek for another meeoiag of the original word t >&< t^lo, which genemlly means and not, hat iometimee the meaning of fr not, unltM, except, Sic. and in BieWa Bible, 1549, it is ' noa translated — / am sure that the kyng Egypt yyl not let you g^, szcbpt wyth a myghiy Mnd. Thi* impoTtof the negative particle, whiohls noticed by Noldius, Btb. Part. p. 329. was perfecUy understood by the ViUgaie, where it is translated tU»i, unless; and the Sifatagint in their >■* fm, which is of the same import, UM so also the CojnMc. The meaaing, therefore, is very pbun— king of E^ypt, who now profits much your servitudie, will not let you go till he sees my hand ■tretebed out, and he and his nation be smitten with ten yiagaes. Hence Ood immediatdy add% ver. 20. / vill ttrHl/h out my hand, and amite Egypt wA aU my von- 4tr9 1 and ttfter thai he will Ut you go.

Vem 22> Every woman ahall bob sow] "Riie is certahdy not a vei^ correct tnuislaiion: the original word Smv wkaai, signifies simply to oak, requeat, dimand, r#- m^A iaqaira, dbc. biit it does not signify to borrow, m the prwper sense of that word, though in a very frw plaees of Scripture it is thus used. In this and the parallel plaee, ch. xii. 35. the word signifies to a»k or demand, and not to borrow, which ii a groaa misiake, into which •oarcely any of the vertiona, ancient or modem, have Mien, exeept our own. The SiprcAainr have ->T>r>i, thtahaUaak; the VtaOATi poati^bit, she ahail demand; the Stkiac, Chaldcb, SAitAUTANt SAJtaaiTAir Veraion, COFTtCi and Fcbsiait, are the same as the Hebrew. The Burapean versi<mB are generally correct on this point; Mid our common feigliflh version ia almost the sole tmnsgrsssor; I say, the common version, which, copying the Bible publiilied by Beck in 1M9, gives us the exceptionable term borrow, for the original ^iWr ahaal, whioi in the Otnma BfUe, and Barker^a Bible of 1616, and some others, is rightly translated aaka. God eommanded the IinebM to ow or damand a eartain leeompeoia kt three days* jounM7 into the wilderness, that wo may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

Id lAnd I am sure that the king of Egypt ' will not let you go, ^ no, not by a mighty hand.

30 And I will ■ stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with " all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and " after that he will let you go,

21 And " I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22 pBat every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and iipon your daughters, and 4 ye shall spoil

their past services, and he inclined the hearts of the Egyptians to give liberally; and thi% fiur from being a matter of appreaaion, wrong, or even charity, was no more than a very partial recompenae for the long and painful services, which we may say six hundred ihouaand Israelites bad rendered to Egypt, during a considerable numbw of years. And there can be no dfflibt, that while their hea^ viest oppression lasted, ther were permitted to accumulate no kiitd of prc^erty, as all their gains went to their oppresson. <■ Oor exceptionable tranalation at the original, has given some couDienance to the despemte cause of infidelity; its abettors have exultingly said — "Moses represents theiuai Grod as ordering the Israelites to borrow the goods of the Egyptians under the pretence of reluming them, whereas he intended that they should march off with the booty." Letthese men know, that there was no borrowing in the case; and that if accounts were birly balanced, Egypt would be found still in considerable arrears to larael. Let it also be considered, that the Egyptians hod never anyright to the services of the H^rews. Eg3rpt owed its policy, its opulence, and even its political existence, to the laraelitea. What had Joaeph for his important services 1 NoTMiNO I He had neither district, nor city, nor lordshia in Egypt; nor did he reaerve any to hia children. All his services were gratuitoua s and being animated with a better hope than any earthly possession could inspire, he desired that even his bonea should be carried up out of Egypt Jacob and his fiunily, it is true, were permitted to sojmtm in Ooshen, but they were not provided for in that place; ferthey brought dieircoUI^ -their gootis, and oU that Otey had, into ^Tpt, Oen. xlv. 1, 6. so that they had nothing but the bare land to feed on; and had built treaaure-citiea or fbrtreaaea, we know not how many; and two whole cities, Piihom and Ramnaea, besides; and for all these services they had no eompenaation whatever, but were, besides, cruelly abused, ai>d obliged l« witness, aa the sum of their ealamities, the daily murder of their male in&ints. These paitieulan ctoisidered, will infldeli^ ever dare to produce this case again, in support of its worthless pretensions'}

Jewela ijf atlver, &c.] The word A^ey, we have already seen, signifies veaaela, inatrumenta, weapona, dtc and may be very well translated by our English term artielea or gooda. The Israelites got both gold and silvsr. probably both in coin and in pbUa of di&rent kinds: ana •uch raiment as was necessary, for the journey which they were about to undertake.

Ye ehaU apoU the Bgyptima] The verb Ssi nataoL signifies not only to apoii, anatch away, but also to get away, to eacape, to deUver, to regain, or rteover. Sron aignines what is taken by raptne or violence — bat this eannot be the meaning of the original word here, as the Israelites only naked, and tlie i^yptians, without fear, terror, or conatraint, freely gave. It is wwihy of remark, that the original word is used 1 Sam. xxx. 22. to signiiy the teeovery ^ property that had been taken away by Ptotenee. '"linen answered all the wicked men, and men of Bsliij, of iboee that went with David — Because th^ west not widti us, wB will not give them aught of the b^oil, SVtfne me^Ao-sKAua; that we have tscovaaaD, u^itm sjAer HtTSALBNQ. In this sense we should understand the word here. The Israelites recovered a port of their property, their wages, of which they had been most unjustly depnved by die Egyptians.

lit this chapter we have much euriooa and imporiaat inftnaaiiaai bat irttat is OMst^tereiting- K^T^I^'T Dic*ffid by

ShhiwHipinrvwvark'Bdi mlmtla, uJ iJai ilieldMiliici vwlJ >-ii bnkif lauM liin uiai hi 'A.mU h>rr p««er Ui lueh Uk wun mi i >- "

hh will lul bUUbOj BBBI M am UhUJCJ

AND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lobd hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the Lord said unto him. What w that in thine hand? And he said, ■ A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he

vhicb God «u plesMd to make biniMlf fcitown w M<mm Bad t» the ImwlitM; a mune by which the Suprame Being WM aftenrard known amone Uu vitnt inhabitantB of 'th« cwtb. He irho 18, and WILL BE what ha IS. TiuM ia a proper chancteriatio of the divine Beings, vho ia, proper^ tpealdiw, the only BsmO| because be ia tnctapandmt and ttanati whereas all other beinga, in whataoever fiariM they may a^^xar, are derived, finite, ohangeable, and liaUe to deetrucdon, deeay, and even to annihilation. When God therefore, announced himaelf to Mona thia name, he proclaimed hia own eiemUy and immaUriality; wad the very name itself precluded the poatitnlity of idofatry, because it waa imposaible for the mii^d, in considering it, to rapresent the Divine Being ia any asmgnable shi^ *, tit who eould repreaent Bsimo or Bxittatee bj any UmiUd form? And who can have any idea of a form that is unlivuledl Thw then we find, that the first discovery whi<^ Olid made of himself waa intended to show the peo^ the nmpUdty and tpiritualUy of hia nature; that, while they considered him aa Bkuto, and the cause of all Bbn^ ther taisht be preaerved from alt idoUUry for ever. The very nana itself u a proof of a divine revelation: for it k BM posaible that such an idea eould have ever entered into the mind of man, unless it had been communicated from above. It could not Iwve been produced by reaaoning, for there were no premises on which it eould be inulded, DOT any otioio^ie* by which it could have been fbrned. We can aa easily comprehend eternity aa we can being, simply cottudered in and of itself; when nothing of assignahle ftuma, colours, or qualitieB exiated, beaides Ua infinile and unlimilable sur.

To this divine diaeovery, the ancient Greeks owed the inacriptioD which they pla[ced above the door of the temple of Apollo at Delphi t the whole of the inacriiMion consisted in the aimple monosyllable EI, THOU ART, the second person of the Greek aubstontiva verb n/ii, /am. On thia inaeription, Plutareh, one of the most intelligent of all the OsDlile phikwo))heta, made an express treatise, mf» th ai «v A<it4>*c. having received the true intnwetatioo in hia travels in Egypt, whiihor he bad gone for the ezpreaa iNirpose of iuouiring into their ancient learning; and where be bad doubtless seen these words of God to Mosea, in the Greek version of the Sepluagint, which had been current among the E^ptians {jor whose take it wa»Jir»t made) ^boutTour hundred years previous to the death of Plutarch. Una philoso|^r observes, that "this title is not only proper, but ^aetUcar to God, because Ha alone is being: ior mortals rave no participation of true being, because diat which begin* and ends, and is continually cnanfin^, is never one nor the aain«, nor in the eamt »taU. Tue dai^, on whose temple this word was inscribed, was called J^mUa A«-axx.Bir, from a, negative, and mtJtt many, booauee uod ia onb, bis nature wimpU, hia essence uneompoututed," Hence, he informs us, the ancient mode of •ddreasing God was — "at *ek, Tmu art ona, « >-•# wtt.- Km t* htf imv, for many cannot be attributed to the divine one, fills up in one NOW an eternal duration." And bs eeanlnrks with efasflrving, that " this word oorreepunds to •main athsn oa the same leiapkb m. mosi zsattoh.

cast it on the cround. and it became a serpentj and Moeea fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said unto Moses. Putfarth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they m&y i believe that <> (he Lord God of their l^ers, the God of Abraham, the God of laaac, and the God of Jacob, bath appeared unto

6 H And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he too* it oat, behold, his hand weu leprous * as snow.

7 And he said. Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into hia bosom again; and pluckM it out of his besom,.and. behold, * it waa turned again as hie other fleeb.

S And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first si^n, timt they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

Knov Tktfadf; as if, under the name it. Thou amt, the Deity designed to exeiie men to venerate Him as eternaag txiating, <■( itTm tiarwrif, and to put them in mind of the frailty and murtality of their own nature."

What beautiful tnings have the ancient Oreek {AiikMOphers stolen from the teatimonies Jtt God, to enncb thsir own works, without any kind of aeknowledgenteml Ani^ atrange perversity of num, these are the very things which we so highly ^plaud in the hMthen copies, whi£ we ao* gleet or pass them by in the divine originaUi NOTES ON CHAPTES, IV. Verse 1. ney mU not beliete me] As if be bad said, Unless I be eaobled to work tDiraclea, and give them prooB by extraordinary vorkt, as well as by woi^ ibey wiU net believe that thou bast sent me.