240 posal Jethro the more to ! porah in mai the elder he alluding to h younger Eli acknowledgi hands of Pha While Mo who was up country, die tyrant, and c burdens up miserable, til and as the remembering forefathers, t and compass Moses wa deliverance: father-in-law feeding, foll find some othe therefore some of Job, as we example of his in Egypt, and better underst Abraham, Isa: plishment was several arts an he took care, i improve.-Pa a It may be do not relate a to do, but suc suppose, that entrance into especially con time of his re ever, is not al great genius by length of being first stri of his wise dis of all his daug body who he sufficiently re b. 1. b Horeb is from Mount S belonging to Horeb to the used promiscu several times Horeb, thoug this is easily were one mo the higher, th pleasure. It vast height, Josephus ind country had a dwelt there; always declin of its being s sundry event anticipation. in the bush; the law; 3. rock; 4. Tha against the A. M. 2433. A. C. 1571; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 3723. A. C. 1688. EXOD. CH. i-xiii. b because the ground whereon he stood was holy. Moses | rod that was in his hand upon the ground, it instantly obeyed; and while the voice went on to declare itself | became a serpent terrible to behold; but when he ordered the God, who had all along been kind to his ancestors, and had now with compassion seen the afflictions of his brethren, and was come down to deliver them from their oppressors, he fell down upon the ground, and covered his face with his garment, as being unable to sustain the refulgency of the divine presence. Moses, by this time, had entirely laid aside all thoughts of rescuing his brethren, the Israelites, from their thraldom; nor had he any opinion of his own abilities, if he should make the attempt, to succeed in so difficult an undertaking; and therefore, when God proposed the thing to him, and opened the whole manner and method in which he would have it executed, he began to excuse himself, by urging his meanness and insufficiency to take upon him the character of a divine ambassador. This difficulty God endeavoured to remove, by assuring him that he would be with him, and assist him in every step he took; that he would enable him to accomplish the thing, though never so perplexed and arduous; and for a token of his veracity herein, that within a small compass of time, he should see that very people, who now were in slavery, set free, and worshipping him on very mountain. that Moses, still unwilling to undertake the thing, desired to know what he was to say to the people, and by what name he was to call the person who sent him upon this message. To which request God was pleased to reply, That he who sent him was an eternal, independent, selfexistent being, a the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by which name he gloried to be called; and therefore he required him, first to assemble the elders of Israel together, and acquaint them with his design, and then to go directly to the king, and demand of him a dismission of the Israelites, at least for three days' journey into the wilderness, in order to sacrifice to their God; which, though at the first he knew he would be far from granting, yet in the end, would be glad to consent to, when he should see the divine power exerted upon sundry occasions, and so many miracles wrought before his eyes as would compel him to let them go. Such a solemn assurance as this from the mouth of God himself, was enough, one would think, to have gained a ready compliance; but Moses still demurs to the thing, and makes it an objection, that the people, when he came to them, might possibly question his credentials; and therefore, to obviate this, God promises to enable him to work miracles for their conviction. And for a specimen of this, when he bade him throw the reverence to the divine presence, and a more awful attention to what he was going to say.-Patrick's and Le Clerc's Commen turies. a God no doubt was the God of Noah, and of all the holy patriarchs, who lived before these three were born; but for a peculiar reason is he called their God, because of his covenant, and the promise made to each of them, that the blessed seed should spring from their loins, in opposition to the pretensions of other neighbouring people, who, as the learned Dr Alix observes, were their rivals in that hope. And so the word will denote, as much as if he had said, the God of Abraham, and not of Lot, as the Ammonites and Moabites pretended; the God of Isaac, and not of Ishmael, as his posterity pretended; and the God of Jacob, and not of Esau, as the Edomites boasted.—Patrick's Commenbury. him to take it up, it resumed its former shape; when he put his hand into his bosom, upon pulling it out, it was all over leprous, but upon putting it in, and pulling it out again, it became as clean as before; and, as if this were not enough, to gain him a further credit among the people, he gave him a standing power to convert water into blood, whenever there was occasion. But the promise of all this miraculous power could not prevail with Moses to accept of this office. He alleged in excuse, his want of eloquence, and the natural impediment he had in his speech. But this Moses to work all his wonders before Pharaoh, this miracle of It is no improbable conjecture, that as God commanded the leprosy gave occasion to the fabulous story, which was invented in after ages, namely, That Moses was a leper, and the Israelites a scabby race, whom the Egyptians were forced to defamation is first met with in Manetho's Egyptian History; drive out of their country, for fear of the infection. This from Manetho it descended to Apion, the Greek historian; and from him Justin and Tacitus, two noted Roman authors, undoubtedly took it. But as Manetho might not at first maliciously devise it out of his own head, so those writers from whom he appearing with a leprous hand before Pharaoh, which was precompiled his history, might derive it from this passage of Moses' sently noised about the country, without the other part of his being immediately cured. For, according to the argument of Josephus, "there needs no other proof of his being no leper, than what arises from his own words, namely, that no lepers should be admitted into any towns or villages, but live apart in a distinct habit by themselves; that whoever touched a leper, or lodged under the same roof with him, should be reputed unclean; and that whoever should come to be cured of that disfountain water, shave off all his hair, and offer such and such ease, should pass through certain purifications, wash himself with sacrifices, before he should be received into the holy city. Now if Moses," says he, "had been afflicted with this distemper himself, it is incongruous to think, that he would ever have been temper in a manner peculiar to the Egyptians. "The leprosy so severe upon others for it." The leprosy indeed was a disis a disease which arises by the banks of the Nile in Middle Egypt, and no where else," as both Lucretius (b. 6.) and Plutarch tell us; and if it was so in Moses' time, he may be presumed excite the people's carefulness to avoid a distemper which they to have made laws more strict against it, with an intention to had already seen so much of, but had now, together with the other calamities of their bondage, happily escaped. For that the people, at this time, were in good health, is evident from the long journey they undertook, and which on all hands is agreed, they did perform; and that they were not expelled by the Egyptians, but went away from them sore against their will, their pursuit of them to the Red Sea, and losing all their lives with a purpose of retaking them, facts that are attested by several heathen authors, are an abundant demonstration.-Joseph. contra Apion, Plutarch's Quæst. Nat., Bibliotheca Biblica, vol. 2. Essay 4. and Patrick's Commentary. c Moses here tells us of himself, that he was slow of speech, which most interpret to be a stammerer, or stutterer; and yet St Stephen (Acts vii. 22.) declares of him, that he was mighty in words as well as deeds;' but this admits of an easy reconciliation, if we do but suppose, that the sense of what he spake was great and weighty, though his pronunciation was not answerable to it. As God, however, tells him, (Exod. iv. 11.) that he it was who made the mouth, and could consequently give to any man what faculties he thought convenient, or remove any impediment he might have, it seems not improbable, that either by use and exercise, or else by God's immediate cure of his defect, Moses had acquired a better facility in delivering his mind, since we find him making several speeches to the people, especially that excellent discourse before his death, in the beginning of Deuteronomy; as he has likewise, where his song occurs towards the latter end, given an ample demonstration, that he wanted not eloquent words when he pleased to employ them.—Patrick's Commentary. A. M. 2433. A. C. 1571; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 3723. A. C. 1688. EXOD. CH. i-xii!. defect likewise God promises to supply in an extraordinary manner; and as he was the great author of human nature, to give him all the faculties that were necessary for the business he put him upon. So that, driven from all his subterfuges, Moses was at last compelled to declare downright, that he had no inclination to the office; and therefore desired of God to let him alone, and find out some other that was fitter for his purpose. So blunt a refusal was not so pleasing to God, and might have been resented with indignation; but instead of that, he resumed the objection, and told Moses, that as to his defect of utterance, this his brother Aaron, who would be fond of the office, and was already set out from home to meet him, would be sufficiently capable of supplying. To him, therefore, he bid him impart the whole affair, and to make use of him as his orator, but to reserve the chief conduct of it to himself, and not to forget a to take along with him his rod, wherewith he would enable him to work all miracles. an angel appeared to him in the inn where he lodged, and, with a stern countenance, and flaming sword in his hand, threatened to kill him, because, by the persuasions of his wife, or his own indulgence, he had neglected to circumcise his younger son; which when his wife perceived, she immediately took a knife, made of a sharp flint, and therewith circumcising the child, pronounced over him the usual form of admission into the pale of the church; which when she had done, the angry vision disappeared, and gave signs that God was appeased. While Moses was on his way to Egypt, Aaron, by a divine revelation, was informed thereof, and ordered to go and meet him in the wilderness. Not far from the mount of Horeb they met; and, after mutual embraces and endearments, Moses began to open unto him the purport of his commission, the instructions he had received from God, and the miraculous works he was empowered to show: and thus proceeding to Egypt, the two brothers called an assembly of the chief elders of the people, wherein Aaron declared unto them the By these persuasions, and demonstrations of a mira-message which God had sent by Moses, while Moses, to culous power to assist him, Moses, at last, was prevailed on to accept the commission, and accordingly went to his father-in-law, and, without telling him the occasion, requested leave to go and visit his brethren who were in Egypt. His father-in-law readily consented to it; so that, taking his wife and children along with him, he was proceeding on his journey, when, to his great surprise, a Wonderful are the stories which the Hebrew doctors tell us of this rod, namely, that it originally grew in paradise, was brought away by Adam, from him passed to Noah, and so through a succession of patriarchs, till it came to be transplanted into Jethro's garden, and there took root again, God knows how; that it was called Zaphir, whence Ziphorah his daughter had her name, and had the Tetrogrammaton written upon it; that when Zipporah fell in love with Moses, her father consented that she should have him, if he could pluck up this Zaphir-rod, at the same time published a proclamation, that whoever did it first should marry his daughter; that hereupon several lusty young men came, and tried their strength in vain; but that Moses, by being acquainted with the true pronunciation of the name of God, in virtue thereof, did it with ease, and so not only obtained his daughter, but this rod into the bargain, with which he wrought afterwards all his wonders in Egypt. But how fictitious soever all this may be, it is certain that in Exod. iv. 20. this staff is called the rod of God;' and that partly because it was appropriated to God's special service, to be the instrument of all his glorious works, and partly to show that whatever was done by that rod, was not done by any virtue in it, or in the hand of Moses, but merely by the power of God, who was pleased, for the greater confusion of his enemies, to use so mean an instruNor is it an improbable conjecture, that the wands which great ministers are wont to carry in their hands, in token of their power and office, were originally derived from this of Moses. Universal History, b. 1. c. 7. and Poole's Annotations. ment. He was, both in justice and decency, obliged to acquaint his father-in-law with his intention to leave Midian, and go into Egypt, because he had bound himself by an oath to live with him, and was resolved now to take his wife and children, as being well assured of a speedy return. But he thought fit to conceal from him the errand upon which God sent him, lest he should endeavour to hinder or discourage him from so difficult and dangerous an enterprise. So that Moses, in this instance, has given us a rare example of piety and prudence, in that he took care to avoid all occasions and temptations to disobedience to the divine commands; as well as of a singular modesty and humility, in that such glorious and familiar converse with God, and the high commission with which he had honoured him, made him neither forget the civility and duty which he owed to his father, nor break out into any public and vainglorious ostentation of such a privilege.-Poole's Annotations. confirm the truth of his divine mission, wrought the several miracles which God had appointed him, before their eyes; insomuch that they were all fully convinced that he was a true prophet, come from the God of their fathers, who had at length commiserated their afflictions, and sent now to deliver them from their bondage: and with this persuasion, they kneeled down upon their knees, and worshipped God. Not many days after, Moses and Aaron went to court, and having obtained admission to the king, requested of him that he would give the Israelites leave to go three days' journey into the wilderness, in order to perform a solemn service to the Lord their God. But Pharaoh was so far from complying with their request, that, know e Whether it was required that the instrument made use of in the circumcision of children, was to be of stone or flint, and whether the Hebrews never used any other, is a question very learnedly discussed by Pererius, in his disputation on this place. That the heathens performed such sort of abscisions with sharp flints or stones, is evident from several authors; and though Pererius determines against the constant use of the flint among the Hebrews in circumcision, and against its being prescribed or enjoined in the institution, yet there is great reason to presume, that this operation was never done with any other kind of instrument, before that of Joshua's circumcising the Israelites in the wilderness.-Bibliotheca Biblica in locum. d Exod. iv. 25,A bloody husband art thou to me.' The learned Joseph Mede, (Dissertation xiv. p. 52,) has given to these words of Zipporah the following singular interpretation. He says that it was a custom among the Jews to name the child that was circumcised, by a Hebrew word, signifying a husband, He builds his opinion upon the testimony of some rabbins. He apprehends that she applied to the child, and not to Moses, as most interpreters think, the words above mentioned. Chaton, which is the term in the original, is never used to denote the relation between husband and wife, but that which is between & man and the father or mother of the person to whom he is married: it signifies a son-in-law, and not a husband. A person thus related is a son initiated into a family by alliance. It is in this view of initiated, that Zipporah says to her son, a bloody husband art thou to me;' that is to say, it is I who have initiated thee into the church by the bloody sacrament of circumcision. He endeavours to justify his criticism upon the word chaton, by the idea which the Arabians affix to the verb from whence this noun is derived. The Chaldee Paraphrast also annexes the same notion to the words of Zipporah. Saurin, (Dissertation on Old Test. vol. 1. p. 371,) does not seem altogether satisfied with this interpretation of the passage: whether it be just or not, must be left to the decision of the learned reader.-ED. A. M. 2433. A. C. 1571; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 3763. A. C. 1648. EXOD. CH. i-xiii ment. ing no being superior to himself, he profanely questioned | exact the same tale of bricks from them without abatethe existence of their God; or if there was such a thing, he could not see why they might not serve him in Egypt, as well as elsewhere; and therefore he positively refused to let them go. The truth is, he suspected that they had a design of revolting from his service, and had been laying schemes to get out of his dominions. This to him was an argument that they had too much leisure; and an effectual way to check their indulging themselves in such contrivances, was to take care to leave them fewer vacant hours; and therefore he ordered greater tasks, and more work to be laid upon them. " He reprimanded Moses and Aaron for going among the people, and interrupting them in their employments. He gave their taskmasters charge, not to allow them any more straw, and yet to a The words of Pharaoh are, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? Get ye to your burdens.' Which words seem to be directed, not so much to the elders of Israel, who might possibly go along with them, as to Moses and Aaron themselves: and so the sense of the reproof will be:-"So far am I from granting the liberty which you desire for the people, that, as a just punishment upon you for your seditious attempt, I command you also to go with the rest, to take your share in their burdens, and to perform the task which shall be required of you." And that so cruel a tyrant did not proceed farther against them, must be ascribed to the mighty power of God, who governs the spirits, and restrains the hands of the greatest kings, when he pleases. This seems to be a better account than what some of the Jewish fictions give us of it, namely, that when Moses and Aaron came into Pharaoh's presence, they were raised to a taller stature than they had before; had a splendour in their countenances, like that of the sun; and appeared with such majesty, as quite struck him with terror and astonishment.-Poole's Annotations, and Patrick's Commentary. What the use of straw was in making bricks, is variously conjectured. Some think it was of no other use than to heat the kilns wherein they were burnt; others, who will have it that they were never burnt at all, imagine that it served only to cover them from the too intense heat of the sun, and that they might he baked gradually; but as it is evident that they were burnt in kilns, the most probable opinion is, that straw was mixed with the clay, to make them more solid. For, according to a passage in Lucilius, mentioned by Nonius Marcellus, straw was anciently employed to this purpose. "For what forms the side is made up of nothing more than common clay, mixed with straw, and mud mixed with chaff.” On this subject take the following accounts of modern travellers:-"The use of the chopt straw and stubble in making bricks," (Exod. v.) "was not as fuel to burn or bake them with, for which purpose surely neither of these is proper, but to mix with the clay, in order to make the bricks, which were dried, or baked in the sun, cohere." So Philo, who was himself of Alexandria in Egypt, expressly informs us, in Vit. Mosis. And from Dr Shaw, (Travels, p. 136,) we learn, that "some of the Egyptian pyramids are made of bricks, the composition whereof is only a mixture of clay, mud, and straw, slightly blended and kneaded together, and afterwards baked in the sun. The straw which keeps these bricks together, and still preserves its original colour, seems to be a proof that these bricks were never burnt or made in kilns." And as to the Egyptian manner of building in modern times, Mr Baumgarten, in his Travels, c. 18, speaking of Cairo in Egypt, says, "The houses for the most part are of brick that are only hardened by the heat of the sun, and mixed with straw to make them firm." (Collection of Voyages and Travels, 4 vols. folio, vol. 1. p. 443. See also, Complete System of Geography, vol. 2. p. 177, col. 1.; Hasselquist's Travels, p. 100.) It is said that the unburnt bricks of Egypt formerly were, and still are, made of clay mixed with straw. The Egyptian pyramid of unburnt bricks, Dr Pococke (Observations on Egypt, p. 53,) says, seems to be made of the earth brought by the Nile, being a sandy black earth, with some pebbles and shells in it: it is mixea up with chopped straw, in order to bind the This charge the taskmasters, who were Egyptians, communicated to their under officers, who were Hebrews. And when the people, being forced, for want of straw, to wander all the country over to pick up stubble, had not time to make as many bricks as were exacted, these Hebrew officers were called to an account, and beaten. They, however, not well knowing from whence this unreasonable severity proceeded, whether from the royal edict, or the rigour of the taskmasters, addressed the king himself, and laid their grievances before him in the most humble manner. But so far were they from receiving any redress, that the answer returned them was, "That the king would have his edict executed, be it never so severe; and would exact from them their full number of bricks, though he was resolved to allow them no straw.' This answer was enough to run them to the utmost despair: and therefore, as they returned from the king, meeting Moses and Aaron, they discharged their grief and anger, though very unjustly, upon them; telling them, "That they had taken care to infuse an odium into the king against them, and given him a plausible handle to destroy them, which they wished in God might fall upon their own heads." These bitter expressions afflicted Moses to that degree, that he expostulated the matter with God, for suffering Pharaoh to be so exasperated against his people, and for having not in the least mitigated their afflictions, since the time that he first went to him. His concern for the oppression of his brethren made him certainly forget the promise which God had given him, and the perverseness of Pharaoh, which he had foretold him: but, notwithstanding this, God was pleased to give him fresh assurances, that now the time was come, wherein he would manifest his almighty power, and exert the full force of the name which he had taken clay together. The Chinese have great occasion for straw in making bricks, as they put thin layers of straw between them, without which they would, as they dried, run or adhere together. Macartney's Emb., p. 269.-ED. c The words of God upon this occasion are,-I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of ELSHADDAI, the Almighty God; but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them,' (Exod. vi. 3.) But how can this be, when long before Moses' time, God is so frequently called by that name? For did not the sons of Seth call themselves by the name of Jehovah,' Gen. iv. 26. ? Did not Abraham swear, and lift up his hands to Jehovah,' Gen. xiv. 22.? Did not he call the place where he went to offer Isaac, Jehovah-jireh,' Gen. xxii. 14.? Did not the Lord say unto him, I am the God Jehovah, that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees,' Gen. xv. 7.? And when, in a vision, Jacob saw him stand before him, did not he say, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac,' Gen. xxxviii, 13.? These passages make it impossible for God not to be known to the patriarchs under that name: and therefore several learned writers upon this text have deprehended a fault in our translation, and would have the latter part of the verse to be taken interrogatively, thus, By my name Jehovah was I not known unto them ?' If we take the sentence interrogatively, say they, every one will see, that it plainly intimates, that the Lord had revealed himself unto them by this name, which is agreeable to the scripture account of the patriarchs' knowledge and worship of him; but to take the words without the interrogation, and suppose them to intend, that the Lord who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was not known to them by his name Jehovah, cannot be reconciled to some very express passages in the book of Genesis; unless we can suppose, b A. M. 2433. A. C. 1571; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 3763. A. C. 1648. EXOD. CH. i–xiii. upon himself, in the deliverance of his people from their | his speech, which he might possibly think was the reason bondage, and in the performance of the promises made to their forefathers, by giving them the land, the rich and plentiful land of Canaan in possession. With this God appointed Moses to acquaint the children of Israel, and to promise them, moreover, that he would make them his peculiar people, and take them under his immediate protection; so that in the event they should plainly see, that their deliverance and admission to the inheritance he had spoken of, was effected by that God who is always faithful to his promises. But though Moses failed not to carry these tidings to the people, yet such was their affliction of mind, upon the increase of their servitude, that they gave little or no attention to him. God, however, pursuing the ends of his providence, commanded Moses to go again to the king, and demand the release of his people; and when he endeavoured to decline the office, upon pretence of the a impediment in that as Genesis was not written when God revealed this his name to Moses, Moses makes use of it by way of anticipation, because at the time when he wrote, the Jews commonly used it, though in the days when the patriarchs, whose lives he was giving some account of, lived, it was a thing utterly unknown. There is another way, however, of expounding these words, if, by the name Jehovah, we understand not the letters or syllables, but what is properly the import of it, namely, not only God's eternal existence, but his omnipotent power likewise, and unchangeable truth, which give being, as we may say, to his promises by the actual performance of them. That this is the sense of the word Jehovah, is apparent from several passages in this very book of Exodus. Thus, chap. vii. 5, 17, And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah; for behold, I will strike with the rod, that is in thine hand, upon the rivers, and they shall be turned into blood:' so that the meaning of the whole passage will fairly be,-"That though God gave Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, such demonstrations of his power as could not but convince them that he would certainly perform his promises; yet they did not live to see the accomplishment of them, which he was now going to set before the Israelites. They believed in these things, but they did not experimentally know them. They had dreams and visions indeed, but Moses was the first that wrought miracles and prodigies. By these he made the name of the Lord known unto the world." And therefore Maimonides well concludes from this place, that the prophetic spirit of Moses was more excellent than that which had been upon any before his time. (Poole's Annotations, Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentaries, and More Nevoch: part 2. c. 35.). See an elaborate dissertation on this subject, by Mr Bell, in his edition of Rollin, vol. 2. p. 524, et seq.-ED. a The phrase in the text is, uncircumcised in lips;' for as among the Jews, circumcision of any part denoted its perfection, so uncircumcision was set to signify its defectiveness, or ineptitude to the purposes for which it was designed. Thus the prophet says of the Jews, that their ear was uncircumcised,' and adds an explanation of it, because they cannot hearken,' Jer, vi. 10. Again he tells us, that the house of Israel were uncircumcised in the heart,' that is, would not understand and learn their duty, Jer. ix. 26. And in like manner here, uncircumcised lips' must mean a person that was a bad speaker, and wanted eloquence; and what might possibly induce Moses to make use of this metaphor, rather than any other, might be the consideration of his having so lately neglected to circumcise his son. Some are of opinion, that the word circumcision carries in it an idea of something superfluous in the part, and that therefore Moses' tongue might be either too long, or too big for his mouth, and that this might occasion either an inelegance or hesitation in his speech: but the more probable opinion is, that he was what we call tongue-tied, which his parents, either in their fright might not perceive, or in the general hurry and destruction of the children, might not dare to send for a proper person to remedy, until it was too late. However this be, it is certain, that as circumcision was the first and greatest sacrament among the Jews, so uncircumcision was esteemed by them the greatest scandal and disgrace; and therefore Moses perhaps thought it some disparage. why his own countrymen did not hearken unto him, and how then could he expect that Pharaoh should do it, in a matter so much to his loss? God, to remove this objection, told him,— That there was no occasion for himself to speak unto Pharaoh, seeing he had constituted Aaron to be his interpreter; that he must not be discouraged at some few repulses; that Pharaoh, he knew, was a man of so obstinate a temper, that the more he was punished, the less he would relent, but that the less he relented, the more would his wonders be shown on him and his people; that to this purpose, he had invested him with the power of working miracles, which would make him justly terrible; and that therefore, when they came into Pharaoh's presence, and he demanded a proof of the truth of his mission, he should direct Aaron to cast his rod upon the ground, and it should immediately become a serpent. With these instructions, Moses and Aaron came again the Israelites; whereupon, when the king desired them to the king, and repeated the demand of his dismissing to show him some miracle, thereby to induce him to believe, that the God whom they spake so much of, had really sent them, Aaron threw down his rod, which was instantly changed into a serpent; but, to confront this miracle, the king sent for the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt, and ordered them to try, if by their magical arts, they could cause the like transmutation. They attempted, and succeeded; they changed their rods into serpents, as the other had done, but with this remarkable difference, that Aaron's rod swallowed up all the rods of the magicians, which was enough to have convinced the proud monarch of the superior power of the God of Israel, had not his heart been so averse to the thoughts of parting with the Hebrews, that he did not let this circumstance make any due impression upon his mind. Some time after this, Moses and Aaron put themselves ment to him, that he was not able himself to deliver his mind in an handsome manner to Pharaoh; and therefore made mention of this again, to engage the divine majesty to circumcise his lips, as they term it, to remove this impediment in his speech, as we have some reason to believe that he did.-Pererius, Patrick's, and Le Clerc's Commentaries. God, to silence the objection which Moses had more than once made of his defectiveness in speech, tells him, 'I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron shall be thy prophet,' Exod. vii. 1; by which he does not only mean, that he had invested him with an authority to require of Pharaoh an obedience to his commands, and upon his refusal, to inflict such punishments on him, as none but God could inflict; but that in executing the commission he was putting him upon, there was no occasion for him to speak to Pharaoh himself. That he had appointed Aaron to do; and therefore he might keep himself upon the reserve, and Pharaoh at an awful distance, just as God delivers his oracles to the people by the mediation of his prophets. Only there is one objection against the passage itself, which some imagine cannot be genuine, because Moses makes use of the word nabi, for a prophet, which in his days, must have been expressed by another: for so in 1 Sam. ix. 9. it is said that he who was now called nabi, a prophet, was before that time called roch, a seer; which seems to imply, that nabi was not a word in use till Samuel's days. But this is very far from Samuel's meaning, whose plain sense is this,-That he who foretold things to come, or discovered secrets, was anciently called a seer, not a prophet; for a prophet heretofore signified only, an interpreter of the divine will; but that now, in Samuel's days, they began to apply the word nabi, or prophet, to those who could reveal any secret, or foresee things to come.-Poole's Annotations, Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentary. |