Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

B. C. 1491.

families.

CHAP. VI.

from the line of Abraham. Nadab, and A. M. 2513.

B. C. 1491.

A. M. 2513. 17 The sons of Gershon; and she bare him Libni, and Shimi, according to their Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.

18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years.

19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

b

20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

25 And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and 1 she bare him Phinehas these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their familics.

26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.

27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, m to bring out the children 22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses Elzaphan, and Sithri.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

and Aaron.

28 And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,

Lev. x. 1; Num. iii. 2; xxvi. 60; 1 Chron. vi. 3; xxiv. 1. Num. xxvi. 11. Num. xxv. 7, 11; Josh. xxiv. 33.Li Ver. 13. Chap. vii. 4; xii. 17, 51; Num. xxxiii. 1.- 1 Chap. v. 1,3; vii. 10.- m Ver. 13; ch. xxxii. 7; xxxiii. 1; Psa. lxxvii. 20.

Verse 21. Korah] Though he became a rebel against God and Moses, (see Num. xvi. 1, &c.,) yet Moses, in his great impartiality, inserts his name among

y Chron. vi. 17; xxiii. 7.- Num. xxvi. 57; 1 Chron. vi. 2, 18.1 Chron. vi. 19; xxiii. 21. Chap. ii. 1,2; Num. xxvi. 59. - Num. xvi. 1; 1 Chron. vi. 37, 38. Lev. x. 4; Num. iii. 30. Ruth iv. 19, 20; 1 Chron. ii. 10; Matt. i. 4. survived twenty-seven years, though he was much the elder brother. By the common computation this would be twenty-three years by Kennicott's computation at the end of Gen. xxxi., Levi's birth is placed twenty-those of his other progenitors. four years before that of Joseph; his death, therefore, would be only three years later. But this is not the only difficulty in ancient chronologies. Kohath, the second son of Levi, according to Archbishop Usher was thirty years old when Jacob came into Egypt, and lived there one hundred and three years. He attained to nearly the same age with Levi, to one hundred and thirty-three years; and his son Amram, the father of Moses, lived to the same age with Levi. We may observe here how the Divine promise, Gen. xv. 16, of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt in the fourth generation was verified; for Moses was the son of Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Jacob."-DODD.

Verse 22. Uzziel] He is called Aaron's uncle, Lev. x. 4.

Verse 20. His father's sister] 7 dodatho. The true meaning of this word is uncertain. Parkhurst observes that dod signifies an uncle in 1 Sam. x. 14; Lev. x. 4, and frequently elsewhere. It signifies also an uncle's son, a cousin-german: compare Jer. xxxii. 8 with ver. 12, where the Vulgate renders dodi by patruelis mei, my paternal cousin; and in Amos vi. 10, for 1717 dodo, the Targum has karibiah, his near relation. So the Vulgate, propinquus ejus, his relative, and the Septuagint, oi oike LOL avrov, those of their household. The best critics suppose that Jochebed was the cousin-german of Amram, and not his aunt. See chap. ii. 1.

Bare him Aaron and Moses] The Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, and one Hebrew MS. add, And Miriam their sister. Some of the best critics suppose these words to have been originally in the Hebrew text.

|

Verse 23. Elisheba] The oath of the Lord. It is the same name as Elizabeth, so very common among Christians. She was of the royal tribe of Judah, and was sister to. Nahshon, one of the princes; see Num. ii. 3.

Eleazar] He succeeded to the high priesthood on the death of his father Aaron, Num. xx. 25, &c.

Verse 25. Phinehas] Of the celebrated act of this person, and the most honourable grant made to him and his posterity, see Num. xxv. 7–13.

Verse 26. According to their armies.] DNY tsibotham, their battalions-regularly arranged troops. As God had these particularly under his care and direction, he had the name of NY ' Yehovah tsebaoth, Lord of hosts or armies.

"The plain and disinterested manner," says Dr. Dodd," in which Moses speaks here of his relations, and the impartiality wherewith he inserts in the list of them such as were afterwards severely punished by the Lord, are striking proofs of his modesty and sincerity. He inserts the genealogy of Reuben and Simeon, because they were of the same mother with Levi; and though he says nothing of himself, yet he relates particularly what concerns Aaron, ver. 23, who married into an honourable family, the sister of a prince of the tribe of Judah."

Verse 28. And it came to pass] Here the seventh chapter should commence, as there is a complete ending of the sixth with ver. 27, and the 30th verse of

Mission of Moses and Aaron.

B. C. 1491.

[blocks in formation]

B. C. 1491.

A. M. 2513. 29 That the LORD spake unto 30 And Moses said before the A. M. 2513. Moses, saying, "I am the LORD: LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumspeak thou unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all cised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken that I say unto thee. unto me?

[ocr errors]

n Ver. 2.- o Ver. 11; chap. vii. 2.

P Ver. 12; chap. iv. 10.

this chapter is intimately connected with the 1st verse counterbalanced by mental defects, and mental imperof the succeeding.

THE principal subjects in this chapter have been so amply considered in the notes, that little of importance remains to be done. On the nature of a covenant (see ver. 4) ample information may be obtained by referring to Gen. vi. 18, and xv. 9-18, which places the reader will do well to consult.

Supposing Moses to have really laboured under some defect in speech, we may consider it as wisely designed to be a sort of counterbalance to his other excellences at least this is an ordinary procedure of Divine Providence; personal accomplishments are

fections often by personal accomplishments. Thus the head cannot say to the foot, I have no need of thee. And God does all this in great wisdom, to hide pride from man, and that no flesh may glory in his presence. To be contented with our formation, endowments, and external circumstances, requires not only much submission to the providence of God, but also much of the mind of Christ. On the other hand, should we feel vanity because of some personal or mental accomplishment, we have only to take a view of our whole to find sufficient cause of humiliation; and after all, the meek and gentle spirit only is, in the sight of God, of great price.

CHAPTER VII.

The age Moses

The dignified mission of Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh—the one to be as God, the other as a prophet of the Most High, 1, 2. The prediction that Pharaoh's heart should be hardened, that God might multiply his signs and wonders in Egypt, that the inhabitants might know he alone was the true God, 3–6. of Moses and Aaron, 7. God gives them directions how they should act before Pharaoh, 8, 9. turns his rod into a serpent, 10. The magicians imitate this miracle, and Pharaoh's heart is hardened, 11-13. Moses is commanded to wait upon Pharaoh next morning when he should come to the river, and threaten to turn the waters into blood if he did not let the people go, 14-18. The waters in all the land of Egypt are turned into blood, 19, 20., The fish die, 21. The magicians imitate this, and Pharaoh's heart is again hardened, 22, 23. The Egyptians sorely distressed because of the bloody waters, 24.

[blocks in formation]

This

[blocks in formation]

a Chap. iv. 16; Jer.-i. 10. Chap. iv. 16.- Chap. iv. 15. Chap. x. 1; xi. 9.- h Chap. vi. 6. Ver. 17; chap. viii. 22; d Chap. iv. 21.- - Chap. xi. 9.- Chap. iv. 7. xiv. 4, 18; Psa. ix. 16. Chap. iii. 20. Ver. 2. NOTES ON CHAP. VII. that I may have the greater opportunity to multiply Verse 1. I have made thee a god] At thy word my wonders in the land, that the Egyptians may know every plague shall come, and at thy command each that I only am Jehovah, the self-existent God. shall be removed. Thus Moses must have appeared on chap. iv. 21.. as a god to Pharaoh.

Shall be thy prophet.] Shall receive the word from thy mouth, and communicate it to the Egyptian king,

ver. 2.

Verse 3. I will harden Pharaoh's heart] I will permit his stubbornness and obstinacy still to remain,

See

Verse 5. And bring out the children of Israel] Pharaoh's obstinacy was either caused or permitted in mercy to the Egyptians, that he and his magicians being suffered to oppose Moses and Aaron to the uttermost of their power, the Israelites might be brought out of Egypt in so signal a manner, in spite of all

The rod becomes a serpent.

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

[blocks in formation]

B. C. 1491.

7 And Moses was m fourscore 10 And Moses and Aaron went A. M. 2513. years old, and Aaron fourscore and in unto Pharaoh, and they did three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. so P as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron 8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and Aaron, saying, before his servants, and it a became a serpent.

9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

Deut. xxix. 5; xxxi. 2; xxxiv. 7; Acts vii. 23, 30. vii. 11; John ii. 18; vi. 30.- Chap, iv. 2, 17.

[ocr errors]

11. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

t

n Isa. P Verse 9.- - Chap. iv. 3.- Gen. xli. 8.- $2 Tim. iii. 8. Ver. 22; chap. viii. 7, 18.

Verse 7. Moses was fourscore years old] He was forty years old when he went to Midian, and he had tarried forty years in Midian; (see chap. ii. 11, and Aets vii. 30;) and from this verse it appears that Aaron was three years older than Moses. We have already seen that Miriam their sister was older than either, chap. ii. 4.

the opposition of the Egyptians, their king, and their xliv. 19; Isa. xiii. 22; xxxiv. 13; xxxv. 7; xliii. 20; gods, that Jehovah might appear to be All-mighty and | Jer. ix. 11, &c., &c.; and also a dragon, serpent, or All-sufficient. whale, Joh vii. 12; Psa. xci. 13; Isa. xxvii. 1; li. 9; Jer. li. 34; Ezek. xxix. 3; xxxii. 2; and is termed, in As it was our translation, a sea-monster, Lam. iv. 3. a rod or staff that was changed into the tannim in the cases mentioned here, it has been supposed that an ordinary serpent is what is intended by the word, be cause the size of both might be then pretty nearly equal: but as a miracle was wrought on the occasion, Verse 9. Show a miracle for you] A miracle, n this circumstance is of no weight; it was as easy for mopheth, signifies an effect produced in nature which God to change the rod into a crocodile, or any other crea is opposed to its laws, or such as its powers are inade- ture, as to change it into an adder or common snake. quate to produce. As Moses and Aaron professed to Verse 11. Pharaoh-called the wise men] Don have a Divine mission, and to come to Pharaoh chacamim, the men of learning. the most extraordinary occasion, making a most singu- cashshephim, those who reveal hidden things; probalar and unprecedented demand, it was natural to sup-bly from the Arabic root kashafa, to reveal, pose, if Pharaoh should even give them an audience, that he would require them to give him some proof by an extraordinary sign that their pretensions to such a Divine mission were well founded and incontestable. For it appears to have ever been the sense of mankind, that he who has a Divine mission to effect some extraordinary purpose can give a supernatural proof that he has got this extraordinary commission.

on

Take thy rod] This rod, whether a common staff, an ensign of office, or a shepherd's crook, was now consecrated for the purpose of working miracles; and is indifferently called the rod of God, the rod of Moses, and the rod of Aaron. God gave it the miraculous power, and Moses and Aaron used it indifferently. Verse 10. It became a serpent.] tannin. What kind of a serpent is here intended, learned men are not agreed. From the manner in which the. original word is used in Psa. lxxiv. 13; Isa. xxvii. 1; li. 9; Job vii. 12; some very large creature, either aquatic or amphibious, is probably meant; some have thought that the crocodile, a well-known Egyptian animal, is here intended. In chap. iv. 3 it is said that this rod was changed into a serpent, but the original word there is n nachash, and here in tannin, the same word which we translate whale, Gen. i. 21.

As in nachash seems to be a term restricted to no one particular meaning, as has already been shown on Gen. iii.; so the words 'n tannin, or tanninim, D'un tannim, and mun tannoth, are used to signify different kinds of animals in the Scriptures. The word is supposed to signify the jackal in Job xxx. 29; Psa. VOL. I. ( 22 )

כשפים,Sorcerers

uncover, &c., signifying diviners, or those who pretended to reveal what was in futurity, to discover things lost, to find hidden treasures, &c. Magicians,

chartummey, decypherers of abstruse writings. See the note on Gen. xli. 8.

They also did in like manner with their enchantments.] The word on lahatim, comes from unh lahat, to burn, to set on fire; and probably signifies such incantations as required lustral fires, sacrifices, fumigations, burning of incense, aromatic and odoriferous drugs, &c., as the means of evoking departed spirits or assistant demons, by whose ministry, it is probable, the magicians in question wrought some of their deceptive miracles: for as the term miracle signifies properly something which exceeds the powers of nature or art to produce, (see ver. 9,) hence there could be no miracle in this case but those wrought, through the power of God, by the ministry of Moses and Aaron. There can be no doubt that real serpents were produced by the magicians. On this subject there are two opinions: 1st, That the serpents were such as they, either by juggling or sleight of hand, had brought to the place, and had secreted till the time of exhibition, as our common conjurers do in the public fairs, &c. 2dly, That the serpents were brought by the ministry of a familiar spirit, which, by the magic flames already referred to, they had evoked for the purpose. Both these opinions admit the serpents to be real, and no illusion of the sight, as some have supposed.

[ocr errors]

J

The first opinion appears to me insufficient to ac

321

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilder

13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; " as the LORD ness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest had said.

V

14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go..

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

"Chap. iv. 21; ver. 4. Chap. viii. 15; x. 1, 20, 27.iv. 2, 3; ver. 10. Chap. iii. 18.

X

not hear.

17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. Ch. Chap. iii. 12, 18; v. 1, 3.- Chap. v. 2; ver. 5.- Chap. iv. 9.- b Rev. xvi. 4, 6. Ver. 24.

count for the phenomena of the case referred to. If the magicians' threw down their rods, and they became serpents after they were thrown down, as the text expressly says, ver. 12, juggling or sleight of hand had nothing farther to do in the business, as the rods were then out of their hands. If Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods, their sleight of hand was no longer concerned. A man, by dexterity' of hand, may so far impose on his spectators as to appear to eat a rod; but for rods lying on the ground to become serpents, and one of these to devour all the rest so that it alone remained, required something more than juggling. How much more rational at once to allow that these magicians had familiar spirits who could assume all shapes, change the appearances of the subjects on which they operated, or suddenly convey one thing away and substitute another in its place! Nature has no such power, and art no such influence as to produce the effects attributed here and in the succeeding chapters to the Egyptian magicians.

Verse 12. Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.] As Egypt was remarkably addicted to magic, sorcery, &c., it was necessary that God should permit Pharaoh's wise men to act to the utmost of their skill in order to imitate the work of God, that his superiority might be clearly seen, and his powerful working incontestably ascertained; and this was fully done when Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. We have already seen that the names of two of the chief of these magicians were Jannes and Jambres; see chap. ii. 10, and 2 Tim. iii. 8. Many traditions and fables concerning these may be seen in the eastern writers. Verse 13. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart] pin" vaiyechezak leb Paroh, “And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened," the identical words which in ver. 22 are thus translated, and which should have been rendered in the same way here, lest the hardening, which was evidently the effect of his own obstinate shutting of his eyes against the truth, should be attributed to God. See on chap. iv. 21.

Verse 14. Pharaoh's heart is hardened] cabed, is become heavy or stupid; he receives no conviction, notwithstanding the clearness of the light which shines upon him. We well know the power of prejudice:

1

where persons are determined to think and act after a predetermined plan, arguments, demonstrations, and even miracles themselves, are lost on them, as in the case of Pharaoh here, and that of the obstinate Jews in the days of our Lord and his apostles.

Verse 15. Lo, he goeth out unto the water] Probably for the purpose of bathing, or of performing some religious ablution. Some suppose he went out to pay adoration to the river Nile, which was an object of religious worship among the ancient Egyptians. "For," says Plutarch, De Iside., ουδεν οὕτω τιμη Αιγυπτίοις s & Nethos "nothing is in greater honour among the Egyptians than the river Nile." Some of the ancient Jews supposed that Pharaoh himself was a magician, and that he walked by the river early each morning for the purpose of preparing magical rites, &c.

Verse 17. Behold, I will smite] Here commences the account of the TEN plagues which were inflicted on the Egyptians by Moses and Aaron, by the command and through the power of God. According to Archbishop Usher these ten plagues took place in the course of one month, and in the following order :

The first, the WATERS turned into BLOOD, took place, he supposes, the 18th day of the sixth month; ver. 20. The second, the plague of FROGS, on the 25th day of the sixth month; chap. viii. 1.

The third, the plague of LICE, on the 27th day of the sixth month; chap. viii. 16.

The fourth, grievous SWARMS of FLIES, on the 29th day of the sixth month'; chap. viii. 24.

The fifth, the grievous MURRAIN, on the 2d day of the seventh month; chap. ix. 3.

The sixth, the plague of BOILS and BLAINS, on the 3d day of the seventh month; chap. ix. 10. The seventh, the grievous HAIL, on the 5th day of the seventh month; chap. ix. 18.

The eighth, the plague of LOCUSTS, on the 8th day of the seventh month; chap. x. 12.

The ninth, the THICK DARKNESS, on the 10th day of Abib, (April 30,) now become the first month of the Jewish year; chap. x. 22. But see the note on chap. xii. 2. The tenth, the SLAYING the FIRST-BORN, on the 15th of Abib; chap. xii. 29. But most of these dates are destitute of proof.

The first plague of Egypt.

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

[blocks in formation]

B. C. 1491.

19 And the LORD spake unto sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight A. M. 2513. Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy of his servants; and all the waters rod, and stretch out thine hand. upon the that were in the river were turned to blood. waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon 21 And the fish that was in the river died ; their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon and the river stank, and the Egyptians could all their pools of water, that they may be- not drink of the water of the river; and tome blood; and that there may be blood there was blood throughout all the land of hroughout all the land of Egypt, both in Egypt. vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

e

20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the

4 Chap. viii. 5, 6, 16; ix. 22; 'x. 12, 21; xiv. 21, 26. Heb. gathering of their waters. Chap. xvii. 5.- Psa. lxxviii. 44;

Verse 18. The Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water] The force of this expression cannot be well felt without taking into consideration the peculiar pleasantness and great salubrity of the waters of the Nile. "The water of Egypt," says the Abbe Mascrier, "is so delicious, that one would not wish the heat to be less, or to be delivered from the sensation of thirst. The Turks find it so exquisite that they excite themselves to drink of it by eating salt. It is common saying among them, that if Mohammed had drank of it he would have besought God that he might never die, in order to have had this continual gratification. When the Egyptians undertake the pilgrimage of Mecca, or go out of their country on any other account, they speak of nothing but the pleasure they shall have at their return in drinking of the waters of the Nile. There is no gratification to be compared to this; it surpasses, in their esteem, that of seeing their relations and families. All those who have tasted of this water allow that they never met with the like in any other place. When a person drinks of it for the first time he can scarcely be persuaded that it is not a water prepared by art; for it has something in it inexpressibly agreeable and pleasing to the taste; and it should have the same rank among waters that champaign has among wines. But its most valuable quality is, that it is exceedingly salutary. It never incommodes, let it be drank in what quantity it may: this is so true that it is no uncommon thing to see some persons drink three buckets of it in a day without the least inconvenience! When I pass such encomiums on the water of Egypt it is right to observe that I speak only of that of the Nile, which indeed is the only water drinkable, for their well water is detestable and unwholesome. Fountains are so rare that they are a kind of prodigy in that country; and as to rain water, that is out of the question, as scarcely any falls in Egypt."

"A person," says Mr. Harmer, "who never before heard of the deliciousness of the Nile water, and of the large quantities which on that account are drank of it, will, I am sure, find an energy in those words of Moses to Pharaoh, The Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river, which he never observed before. They will loathe to drink of that water which they used to prefer to all the waters of the uni

22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

cv. 29; Rev. viii. 9.– Ver. 18. Ver. 11; chap. viii. 7, 8; Wisd. xvii. 7.-Prov. xxix. 1; Isa. xxvi. 11; Jer. v. 3; xxxvi. 24. verse; loathe to drink of that for which they had been accustomed to long, and will rather choose to drink of well water, which in their country is detestable !" Observations, vol. iii., p. 564.

Verse 19. That there may be blood-both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone:] Not only the Nile itself was to be thus changed into blood in all its branches, and the canals issuing from it, but all the water of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, was to undergo a similar change. And this was to extend even to the water already brought into their houses for culinary and other domestic purposes. As the water of the Nile is known to be very thick and muddy, and the Egyptians are obliged to filter it through pots of a kind of white earth, and sometimes through a paste made of almonds, Mr. Harmer supposes that the vessels of wood and stoné mentioned above may refer to the process of filtration, which no doubt has been practised among them from the remotest period. The meaning given above I think to be more natural. The FIRST plague. The WATERS turned into BLOOD.

Verse 20. All the waters-were turned to blood.] Not merely in` appearance, but in reality; for these changed waters became corrupt and insalubrious, so that even the fish that were in the river died; and the smell became highly offensive, so that the waters could not be drank; ver. 21.

Verse 22. And the magicians—did so] But if all the water in Egypt was turned into blood by Moses, where did the magicians get the water which they changed into blood? This question is answered in verse 24. The Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink, and it seems that the water obtained by this means was not bloody like that in the river: on this water therefore the magicians might operate. Again, though a general commission was given to Moses, not only to turn the waters of the river (Nile) into blood, but also those of their streams, rivers, ponds, and pools; yet it seems pretty clear from verse 20 that he did not proceed thus far, at least in the first instance; for it is there stated that only the waters of the river were turned into blood. Afterwards the plague doubtless became general. At the commencement therefore of this plague, the magicians might obtain other water to imitate the miracle; and it would not

323

« AnteriorContinuar »