Justin hints so many points, which are so near the truth, in the several parts of the Jewish history, that' I imagine, if due pains had been taken to examine, he would have given a truer account of this, and all the other particulars which he has hinted about them, and their affairs. Justin relates, that the Jews at their departure stole the Egyptian Sacra. We say, they borrowed of the. Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. If they borrowed them, we cannot say that they had any design of returning them again; and therefore the injustice may be thought the same as if they stole them. Some modern writers have taken the greatest liberty of ridiculing this particular, and are pleased in thinking that it affords them a considerable objection against the sacred Scriptures. For they insinuate, with more than ordinary assur ance, that no one can, consistently with plain and common honesty, which all men know too well to be deceived in, suppose that GOD ALMIGHTY directed, or ordered the Israelites to borrow in this manner. The wit of the best poct, is not sufficient to reconcile us to the retreat of a Moses, by the assistance of an Egyptian loan;' said Lord Shaftsbury, amongst other things, which he thought might bear hard against the morality of the sacred history. Some very judicious writers have endeavoured to justify the Israelites borrowing of the Egyptians; but I shall not offer any of their arguments, because I cannot find, that the sa Exod. xii. 35. Charact. vol. 1, p. 358. cred text does in the least hint, that they borrowed, or attempted to borrow any thing of them. The Hebrew word which our translators have rendered borrow is shaal,d which does not signify to borrow, but to ask one to give. It is the very word used Psalm ii. 8. Sheal-ve ettenah, ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. The fact was, GoD had told Moses, that the Israelites should not go out of Egypt empty; but that every woman should ask her neighbour, and the person she lived with, to give her jewels and raiment, and that he would dispose the Egyptians to give them. Thus when they were leaving Egypt, the children of Israel asked the Egyptians for jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; and the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked for, so freely as to impoverish themselves by making presents to them. Josephus represents this fact agreeably to the true sense of the sacred text. He says that the Egyptians, δώροις τε της Εβραίος ετίμων· οι μεν υπερ το ταχιον εξελθειν οι δε καὶ κατα γειτνιακην προς αυτός συνηθειαν made the Hebrews considerable presents; and that some did so, in order to induce them to go the sooner away from them; others out of respect to, and upon account of the acquaintance they had had with them.f d See Exod. iii. 22. & xii. 35. Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. 2. c. 14. • Ibid. iii. The exit of the children of Israel out of Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years after Abraham's first coming into Canaan. Now Abraham came into Canaan A. M. 2083," so that counting four hundred and thirty years forward from that year, we shall fix the exit A. M. 2513, in which year it was accomplished. Our English translators have rendered the xiith chapter of Exodus, verse 40, very justly; now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. The interlinear translation of the Hebrew Bible, and the vulgar Latin version, both misrepresent the true sense of the place, by rendering it to this effect; now the inhabiting of the children of Israel, whereby they' inhabited in Egypt, were four hundred and thirty years. The children of Israel did not live in Egypt four hundred and thirty years; for they came into Egypt with Jacob A. M. 2298," and they went out of Egypt A. M. 2513, so that they lived in Egypt but two hundred and fifteen years; therefore the sojourn, ing of the children of Israel must not be limited to their living in Egypt only, but taken in a more géneral sense, and extended to the time of their living in Canaan; for the four hundred and thirty years, here mentioned, begin from Abraham's first coming into Canaan. The Samaritan text has the verse thus, now the inhabiting of the children of Israel, and their fathers, whereby they inhabited in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt, were four hun See vol. i, B. v, p. 248. See vol. ii, B. vii. dred and thirty years. The most learned Dean Prideaux observes, that the additions herein do manifestly mend the text, and make it more clear and intelligible, and add nothing to the Hebrew copy, but what must be understood by the reader to make out the sense thereof;" and therefore, why may we not suppose that the ancient Hebrew text was in this verse the same with the present Samaritan, and that the words which the Samaritan text now has in this place more than the Hebrew, have been dropped by some transcribers! Josephus fixes the time of the Israelites' departure out of Egypt very exactly. He says, it was four hundred and thirty years after Abraham's coming into Canaan; and two hundred and fifteen years after Jacob's coming into Egypt,* both which accounts suppose it A. M. 2513, the year above-mentioned. If the pastors came into Egypt A. M. 2420, as I have supposed, then the exit of the Israelites will be ninety-three years after the beginning of the reign of Salatis, who was the first of the pastorkings; and according to Sir John Marsham's table of these kings, Apachnas was king of Egypt at this time. From the time when the children of Israel were arrived at Succoth, to their getting over the Red Sea into Midian, it does not appear that Moses led them one step by his own conduct or contrivance. They removed from Succoth to Etham, a town near the Prideaux Connect. vol. 2. part 1, book 6. p. 602. border of the wilderness of Arabia; from thence they moved back into the mountainous parts of Egypt, on the west side of the Red Sea, and encamped near to Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the Sea. According to Moses' narration of their movements, it was in no wise left to his conduct where to lead the people. When Pharaoh had let the people go, GOD led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, lest they should repent when they saw war, and return to Egypt; but GoD led them about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol, and the sea, over-against Baal-zephon, before it shall ye encamp by the sea.' Our very learned countryman, Sir Walter Raleigh, represents the conduct of Moses in this march of the Israelites, as in some measure the effects of his own prudence and skill in the art of war; and gives some reasons to shew how Moses performed in the several stations of this march, the part of a very able commander. I cannot pretend to judge of the reasons of war suggested by him; but I imagine, that Sir Walter Raleigh's great military skill, might lead him to draw an ingenious scheme here for Moses, where we 'Exod. xiii. 17-22. xiv. 1, 2. |