EXODUS.

A. M. 2513. 4 And the king of Egypt said make heretofore, ye shall lay upon A. M. 2513. unto them, Wherefore do ye, them; ye shall not diminish aught Moses and Aaron, let the people from their thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, works? get you unto your • burdens. saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

it 8. And the tale of the bricks, which they did nished.

e Chap. i. 11.- f Chap. 1. 7, 9.- - Chap. i. 11.

Verse 5. The people of the land now are many] The sanguinary edict had no doubt been long before repealed, or they could not have multiplied so greatly. Verse 6. The task-masters of the people and their officers] The task-masters were Egyptians, (see on chap. i. 11,) the officers were Hebrews; see below, ver. 14. But it is probable that the task-masters, chap. i. 11, who are called DDD" sarey missim, For they be idle; therefore they cry-Let us go and princes of the burdens or taxes, were different from sacrifice] Thus their desire to worship the true God those termed task-masters here, as the words are dif- in a proper manner was attributed to their unwillingferent; D' nogesim signifies exactors or oppressors ness to work; a reflection which the Egyptians (in -persons who exacted from them an unreasonable principle) of the present day cast on those who, while proportion either of labour or money. they are fervent in spirit serving the Lord, are ot Officers.-' shoterim; those seem to have been slothful in business. See below, ver. 17.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble instead of straw.

i

13 And the task-masters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's task-masters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task, in making brick both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore? 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?

16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle : therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrificé to the LORD.

Moses pleads with the Lord.

shall no straw be given you, yet A. M. 2513. shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

B. C. 1491.

19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not diminish aught from your bricks of your daily task.

20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh :

21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me ?

23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; m neither hast thou delivered thy people

18 Go therefore now, and work; for there at all. i Heb. a matter of a day in his day. k Chap. vi. 9.- Heb. to stink; Gen. xxxiv. 30; 1 Sam. xiii. 4, xxvii. 12; 2 Samuel

Verse 14. And the officers-were beaten] Probably bastinadoed; for this is the common punishment in Egypt to the present day for minor offences. The manner of it is this: the culprit lies on his belly, his legs being turned up behind erect, and the executioner gives him so many blows on the soles of the feet with a stick. This is a very severe punishment, the sufferer not being able to walk for many weeks after, and some are lamed by it through the whole of their lives. Verse 16. The fault is in thine own people.] NoM chatath, the SIN, is in thy own people. 1st. Because they require impossibilities; and, 2dly, because they punish us for not doing what cannot be performed.

Verse 17. Ye are idle-therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice] It is common for those who feel unconcerned about their own souls to attribute the religious earnestness of others, who feel the importance of eternal things, to idleness or a disregard` of their secular concerns. Strange that they cannot see there is a medium! He who has commanded them to be diligent in business, has also commanded them to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. He whose diligence in business is not connected with a true religious fervour of spirit, is a lover of the world; and whatever form he may have he has not the power of godliness, and therefore is completely out of the road to salvation.

Verse 19. Did see that they were in evil case] They saw that they could neither expect justice nor mercy; that their deliverance was very doubtful, and their case almost hopeless,

Verse 21. The Lord look upon you, and judge] These were hasty and unkind expressions; but the afflicted must be allowed the privilege of complaining;

x. 6; 1 Chron. xix. 6.-
delivered.

m Hebrew, delivering thou hast not

it is all the solace that such sorrow can find; and if in such distress words are spoken which should not be justified, yet the considerate and benevolent will hear them with indulgence. God is merciful; and the stroke of this people was heavier even than their groaning.

Put a sword in their hand] Given them a pretence which they had not before, to oppress us even unto death.

Verse 22. And Moses returned unto the Lord] This may imply, either that there was a particular place into which Moses ordinarily went to commune with Jehovah; or it may mean that kind of turning of heart and affection to God, which every pious mind feels itself disposed to practise in any time or place. The old adage will apply here: "A praying heart never lacks a praying place."

Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people,?] It is certain that in this address Moses uses great plainness of speech. Whether the offspring of a testy impatience and undue familiarity, or of strong faith which gave him more than ordinary access to the throne of his gracious Sovereign, it would be difficult to say. The latter appears to be the most probable, as we do not find, from the succeeding chapter, that God was displeased with his freedom; we may therefore suppose that it was kept within due bounds, and that the principles and motives were all pure and good. However, it should be noted, that such freedom of speech with the Most High should never be used but on very special occasions, and then only by his extraordinary messengers.

Verse 23. He hath done evil to this people] Their misery is increased instead of being diminished.

Neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.] The marginal reading is both-literal and correct: And delivering thou hast not delivered. Thou hast begun the work by giving us counsels and à commission, but thou hast not brought the people from under their bondage. Thou hast signified thy pleasure relative to their deliverance, but thou hast not brought them out of the hands of their enemies.

promises of redemption.

remember that we have sinned against him, and deserve nothing but punishment from his hand. We should therefore bow before him with the deepest humiliation of soul, and take that caution of the wise man, "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few," Eccles. v. 2. There is the more need to attend to this caution, because many ignorant though well-meaning people use very improper, not to say indecent, freedoms in their addresses to the throne of grace. With such proceedings God cannot be well pleased; and he who has not a proper impression of the dignity and excellence of the Divine Nature, is not in such a disposition as it is essentially necessary to feel, in order to receive help from God. He who knows he has sinned, and feels that he is less than the least of all God's mercies, will pray with the deepest humility, and even rejoice before God with trembling. A solemn AWE of the Divine Majesty is not less requisite to successful praying, than faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. When we have such a com. mission as that of Moses, we may make use of his freedom of speech; but till then, the publican's prayer will best suit the generality of those who are even dignified by the name of Christian-LORD, be merci2. In all our addresses to God we should ever ful to ME, a SINNER!

1. It is no certain proof of the displeasure of God that a whole people, or an individual, may be found in a state of great oppression and distress; nor are affluence and prosperity any certain signs of his approbation. God certainly loved the Israelites better than he did the Egyptians; yet the former were in the deepest adversity, while the latter were in the height of prosperity. Luther once observed, that if secular prosperity were to be considered as a criterion of the Divine approbation, then the grand Turk must be the highest in the favour of God, as he was at that time the most prosperous sovereign on the earth. An observation of this kind, on a case so obvious, was really well calculated to repress hasty conclusions drawn from these external states, and to lay down a correct rule of judgment for all such

occasions.

CHAPTER VI.

God encourages Moses, and promises to show wonders upon Pharaoh, and to bring out his people with a strong hand, 1. He confirms this promise by his essential name JEHOVAH, 2, 3; by the covenant he had made with their fathers, 4, 5. Sends Moses with a fresh message to the Hebrews, full of the most gracious promises, and confirms the whole by appealing to the name in which his unchangeable existence is implied, 6-8. Moses delivers the message to the Israelites, but through anguish of spirit they do not believe, 9. He receives a new commission to go to Pharaoh, 10, 11. He excuses himself on account of his unreadiness of speech, 12. The Lord gives him and Aaron a charge both to Pharaoh and to the children of Israel, 13. The genealogy of Reuben, 14; of Simeon, 15; of Levi, from whom descended Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, 16. The sons of Gershon, 17; of Kohath, 18; of Merari, 19. The marriage of Amram and Jochebed, 20. The sons of Izhar and Uzziel, the brothers of Amram, 21, 22. Marriage of Aaron and Elisheba, and the birth of their sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, 23. The sons of Korah, the nephew of Aaron, 24. The marriage of Eleazar to one of the daughters of Putiel, and the birth of Phinehas, 25. These genealogical accounts introduced for the sake of showing the line of descent of Moses and Aaron, 26, 27. A recapitulation of the commission delivered to Moses and Aaron, 29, and a repetition of the excuse formerly made by Moses, 30.

A. M. 2513.

B. C. 1491.

B. C. 1491.

THEN the LORD said unto Moses, 2 And God spake unto Moses, A. M. 2513. Now shalt thou see what I will and said unto him, I am the do to Pharaoh for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand he drive them out of his land.

b

shall

a Chap. iii. 19.- Chap. xi. 1; xii. 31, 33, 39. NOTES ON CHAP. VI. Verse 1. With a strong hand] pinyad chazakah, the same verb which we translate to harden; see on chap. iv. 21. The strong hand here means sovereign power, suddenly and forcibly applied. God purposed to manifest his sovereign power in the sight of Pharaoh and the Egyptians; in consequence of which Pharaoh would manifest his power and authority as

LORD:

3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, c Or, JEHOVAH.- d Gen. xvii. 1; xxxv. 11; xlviii. 3. sovereign of Egypt, in dismissing and thrusting out the people. See chap. xii. 31-33.

Verse 2. I am the LORD] It should be, I am JEHOVAH, and without this the reason of what is said in the 3d verse is not sufficiently obvious.

Verse 3. By the name of God Almighty] "'* EL-SHADDAI, God All-sufficient; God the dispenser or pourer-out of gifts. See on Gen. xvii. 1.

Jehovah promises by his name

B. C. 1491.

CHAP. VI.

to remember his covenant.

JEHOVAH keep in bondage; and I have re-
membered my covenant.

A. M. 2513. but by my name
was I not known to them.
4 And I have also established my covenant
with them, to give them the land of Canaan,
the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they
were strangers.

5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians

Chap. iii. 14; Psa. lxviii. 4; lxxxiii. 18; John viii. 58; Rev. i. 4. Gen. xv. 18; xvii. 4, 7.- -8 Gen. xvii. 8; xxviii. 4. Chap. ii. 24.

A. M. 2513.
B. C. 1491.

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments:

i Ver. 2, 8, 29. Chap. iii. 17; vii. 4; Deut. xxvi. 8; Psa. lxxxi. 6; cxxxvi. 11, 12.- Chap. xv. 13; Deut. vii. 8; 1 Chron. xvii. 21 ;. Neh. į. 10.

It is

provision he made for them, and the constant protec-
tion he afforded them but the name 'JEнovah is
particularly to be referred to the accomplishment of
promises already made; to the giving them a being,
and thus bringing them into existence, which could not
have been done in the order of his providence sooner
than here specified this name therefore in its power
and significancy was not known unto them; nor fully
known unto their descendants till the deliverance from
Egypt and the settlement in the promised land.
surely possible for a man to bear the name of a cer-
tain office or dignity before he fulfils any of its func-
tions. King, mayor, alderman, magistrate, constable,
may be borne by the several persons to whom they
legally belong, before any of the acts peculiar to those
offices are performed. The KING, acknowledged as
such on his coronation, is known to be such by his le-
gislative acts; the civil magistrate, by his distribution
of justice, and issuing warrants for the apprehending
of culprits,; and the constable, by executing those war-
rants. All these were known to have their respective
names, but the exercise of their powers alone shows
what is implied in being king, magistrate, and consta-
ble. The following is a case in point, which fell within
my own knowledge.

But by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. This passage has been a sort of crux criticorum, and has been variously explained. It is certain that the name Jehovah was in use long before the days of Abraham, see Gen. ii. 4, where the words on Jehovah Elohim occur, as they do frequently afterwards; and see Gen. xv. 2, where Abraham expressly addresses him by the name Adonai JEHOVAH; and see the 7th verse, where God reveals himself to Abraham by this very name: And he said unto him, I am JEHOVAH, that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees. How then can it be said that by his name JEHOVAH he was not known unto them? Several answers have been given to this question; the following are the chief :—1. The words should be read interrogatively, for the negative particle lo, not, has this power often in Hebrew. "I appeared unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name of God Almighty, and by my name Jehovah was I not also made known unto them?" 2. The name JEHOVAH was not revealed before the time mentioned here, for though it occurs so frequently in the book of Genesis, as that book was written long after the name had come into common use, as a principal characteristic of God, Moses employs it in his history because of this circumstance; so that whenever it appears pre- A case of dispute between certain litigious neighviously to this, it is by the figure called prolepsis or bours being heard in court before a weekly sitting of anticipation. 3. As the name JEHOVAH signifies the magistrates, a woman who came as an evidence in existence, it may be understood in the text in question behalf of her bad neighbour, finding the magistrates thus: "1 appeared unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob inclining to give judgment against her mischievous by my name God Almighty, or God All-sufficient, i. e., companion, took her by the arm and said, “Come away! having all power to do all good; in this character II told you you would get neither law nor justice in this made a covenant with them, supported by great and place." A magistrate, who was as much an honour glorious promises; but as those promises had respect to his function as he was to human nature, immediately unto their posterity, they could not be fulfilled to those said, "Here, constable! take that woman and lodge fathers but now, as JEHOVAH, I am about to give her in Bridewell, that she may know there is some law existence to all those promises relative to your support, and justice in this place." deliverance from bondage, and your consequent settlement in the promised land." 4. The words may be considered as used comparatively: though God did appear to those patriarchs as JEHOVAH, and they acknowledged him by this name, yet it was but comparatively known unto them; they knew nothing of the power and goodness of God, in comparison of what the Israelites were now about to experience.

I believe the simple meaning is this, that though from the beginning the name JEHOVAH was known as one of the names of the Supreme Being, yet what it really implied they did not know.. "El-Shaddai, God All-sufficient, they knew well by the continual

Thus the worthy magistrate proved he had the power implied in the name by executing the duties of his office. And God who was known as JEHOVAH, the being who makes and gives effect to promises, was known to the descendants of the twelve tribes to be THAT JEHOVAH, by giving effect and being to the promises which he had made to their fathers.

Verse 4. I have also established my covenant] I have now fully purposed to give present effect to all my engagements with your fathers, in behalf of their posterity.

Verse 6. Say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out, &c.] This confirms the explanation given of ver. 3, which see.

7 And I will take you to me for Pharaoh hear me," who am of una people, and I will be to you a circumcised lips? God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth. you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians., 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did, swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.

13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.