king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν, καὶ σκυby a mighty hand [or, but by a strong hand. Xevoate toùs Aiyvπtíovs. So Rosen.]. 20 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. Ged. And as I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go but by compulsion, (20) I will stretch out, &c. Booth.-19 Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, but by a mighty hand. Au. Ver.-22 But 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 upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians [or, Egypt]. Ged., Booth.-But [Ged., for] every man shall ask of his neighbour [so the Sam., and par. place xi. 2], and every woman of her neighbour that dwelleth by her, or [Sam.] utensils] of silver, &c. sojourneth in her house, articles [Ged., 20 I will therefore stretch out, &c. Pool. No, not by a mighty hand; though he see and feel the miraculous and dreadful Ken.-Exod. iii. 22; and ii. 2.-The works of a strong, yea, almighty hand, yet necessity of correcting our translation is not he will not consent to your going; which more apparent from any single instance the history makes good. Nor did he let than from the word borrow, in these places; them go till he could hold them no longer, because the reproach of borrowing what was -till the fear of his own life, and the not repaid, nor intended to be repaid, has clamours of his people, forced him to give been objected freely and frequently, not way to it. And yet after that he repents of only to the Israelites, but also to God his permission, and laboured to bring them himself. As it will not be easy to answer back again. Others, but or except by a this charge, thus stated, 'tis happy that the strong hand, i.e., except by my almighty verb, here used, signifies to ask, beg, and power he be forced to it. Both translations pray for. Certainly the Israelites might ask and beg from their cruel oppressors some quod rewards for their sufferings; and no doubt come to the same sense. Rosen.-19 Et ego scio non dubit, i.e., non sinet vos, quo sensu et the Egyptians would be glad to give them Gen. xx. 6; xxxi. 7, legitur. the richest presents, in hopes of saving nec per manum validam, i.e., ne mei quidem | themselves from the further vengeance of Dei, jussu. hic valet ne quidem, ut heaven. Should any one still contend for sensus sit, Pharaonem nolle Israelitas di- rendering the word ' borrow, let him try to mittere, etiamsi Deus validam suam manum render it so in Psalm cxxii. 6, O borrow the in eum extenderit, sive, ne quidem valida peace of Jerusalem; and the verb is exactly manu castigatus concedet, deliberato con- the same in this as in the former places. silio, ut abeatis. Nam cum tandem exirent Lord Shaftesbury's reflection is this: The Ægypto, metu exanimis nec satis compos wit of the best poet is not sufficient to reconsui, expellebat eos, sed facti, quum ad se cile us to the retreat of a Moses, by the rediisset, mox eum pœnituit. LXX. eàv assistance of an Egyptian loan. μὴ μετὰ χειρὸς κραταιᾶς. Vulgatus: nisi per manum validam, i.e., vi maxima coactus. nusquam alias legitur. אֶתי movσwoi por, unde elorakovσwσi tŷs pwvns ἀπεκρίθη δὲ Μωυσῆς καὶ εἶπεν. ἐὰν μὴ την κρητη η μου, ἐροῦσι γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ ὦπταί σοι ὁ θεὸς, τί ἐρῶ πρὸς αὐτούς ; Au. Ver.-1 And Moses answered and said, ἀλλὰ αἰτήσει γυνὴ παρὰ γείτονος καὶ συσ- But, behold, they will not believe me, nor κήνου αὐτῆς σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ, καὶ χρυσᾶ, καὶ hearken unto my voice: for they will say, ἱματισμόν. καὶ ἐπιθήσετε ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. Prof. Lee.- m. constr., pl. . This word is not found, in its Hebrew signification, in the cognate dialects; but it is manifestly the generic name of the serpent tribe, &c. Ged.-Again Moses answered and said, | about: when he raises up himself, the "But, lo! if they should not believe me, mighty are afraid." nor hearken to my voice (for they may say, the Lord hath not appeared to thee), what then shall I say unto them?" [So the LXX.] Booth.-Again Moses answered and said, But, behold, they may not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they may say, Jehovah hath not appeared to thee. Rosen.—Sed en! non fidem mihi habebunt. uti docent, quæ sequuntur, vid. inprimis Et licet Moses nondum expertus vs. 13. : Ver. 4, 5. וְאֶחָז בִּזְנָבוֹ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיַּחֲזֶק בּוֹ וַיְהִי ,Vox est negantis et detrectantis officium לְמַעַן לְמַטֶה בְּכַפּוֹ : נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָם אֱלֹהֵי esset Israelitarum difidentiam, loqui tamen אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב : eum ex persuasione sua non est incongruum. Sed nil opus καὶ ἐγένετο ὄφις. κ.τ.λ. Au. Ver.-3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. A serpent. commentators. So Gesen., Rosen., and most Bishop Patrick.-It became a serpent.] Αὐτίκα ψυχωθεῖσα είρπε (as Philo speaks), "immediately it was enlivened and crawled about." The word nachash comprehends all sorts of serpents; and R. Eliezer takes it to have been a flying serpent; but our Doctor Lightfoot thinks it was a crocodile; for which there is some reason. For that which is here called nachash (which most think signifies a common snake or serpent), when he threw down his staff before Pha Au. Ver. 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thy 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 may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 4 And caught it. [So the Heb.] Ged., Booth. And took hold of its tail. [So the LXX.] Au. Ver.-5 That they may believe. [So the Heb.] Ged." To the end," said the Lord, "that they may believe." Booth.-Do this, that they may believe that Jehovah, &c. See the like in Pool.-An imperfect sentence, to be thus raoh (vii. 10), is called tannin: which completed, This thou shalt do before them, signifies a serpent of the largest dimensions that they may believe. (vпeрμeуéons dрáкwv, Philo here calls it), 2 Sam. v. 8, compared with 1 Chron. xi. 6; and, as I proved upon Gen. i. 21, includes and Mark xiv. 49, compared with Matt. in it crocodiles, which Isaiah calls the xxvi. 56; or we may connect the words, crooked serpent (xxvii. 1), unto whose That they may believe, with the words, Cast devouring jaws Pharaoh had exposed the it on the ground, &c., and take it by the tail, Hebrew infants, when he commanded them placing the words, And he put forth-hand, to be cast into the river Nile (i. 22), which in a parenthesis. abounded with crocodiles. Moses fled from before it.] It being a very frightful sight; enough to dismay the most courageous man on earth; as God himself describes the crocodile in the book of Job (xli. 14, 15). "His teeth are terrible round Ver. 6. ANN καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου avтov. Au. Ver.-6 And the Lord said further more unto him, Put now thine hand into thy | forsan ab infantia. Vocula D, uti solent bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: Hebræi, si res duas tresve exæquare volunt, and when he took it out, behold, his hand et ter quidem, ut hic, legitur quoque Jud. was leprous as snow. And when he took it out. [So the Heb.] Ged., Booth. And when he drew his hand out of his bosom. [Sam., LXX., and six MSS.] Ver. 8. Au. Ver.-8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. Ged., Booth. So that it may be, said. Jehovah, if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the testimony of the first sign, that they may believe the testimony of the latter sign. Ver. 10. .valet antea, ut Gen מִתְּמוֹל מִשִׁלְשׁם Nam gravis ore et כִּי כְּבַר וגו' viii. 22. εἶπε δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν. τίς ἔδωκε στόμα ἀνθρώπῳ ; καὶ τίς ἐποίησε δύσκωφον καὶ κωφὸν, βλέποντα καὶ τυφλόν; οὐκ ἐγὼ ὁ θεός ; Au. Ver.-11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or מִשְׁלְשֹׁם גַּם מֵאָז דִּבֶּרְךָ אֶל־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי ? the blind ? have not I the Lord כְבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי : Ged., Booth.-And Jehovah said to him, εἶπε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον. δέομαι κύριε. Who giveth utterance to man? or who οὐχ ἱκανός εἰμι πρὸ τῆς χθὲς, οὐδὲ πρὸ τῆς maketh him dumb or deaf, or seeing or τρίτης ἡμέρας, οὐδὲ ἀφ ̓ οὗ ἤρξω λαλεῖν τῷ blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? θεράποντί σου. ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ βραδύγ λωσσος ἐγώ εἰμι. Rosen.-Quis posuit, dedit os homini? aut Au. Ver.-10 And Moses said unto the quis facit mutum aut surdum? LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent [Heb., a man of words], neither heretofore Ver. 13. וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנָי שְׁלַח־נָא בְּיַד־תִּשְׁלָח : Heb., since yesterday, nor since the third] day], nor since thou hast spoken unto thy καὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς. δέομαι κύριε. προ servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a χείρισαι δυνάμενον ἄλλον, ὃν ἀποστελεῖς. slow tongue. I am not. Ged. I never was. Au. Ver.-But I am slow of speech, &c. and a faltering tongue. Au. Ver.-13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt [or, shouldest] send. See note on Gen. xliii. 20. Ged., Booth.—And he said [Ged., Moses said. So LXX., Syr., and one MS.], O my Booth. For I have a slow and impeded Lord, send, I pray thee, by him whom thou Rosen. De voce cf. ad Gen. xliii. 20. Pool.-By one who is fitter for the work Diy Day ON 25, Non vir verborum ego sum, than I am. Heb., Send by the hand of him i.e., non sum eloquens, seu potius: verba whom thou wilt send, i.e., should send; for mea expedite proferre nequeo. Id indicari the future tense oft signifies what one should patet ex iis, quæ sub finem versus sequuntur. do. See Gen. xx. 9; xxxiv. 7; Mal. i. 6; -bio Et ab hesterno die, aut ii. 7. Thou usest according to thy wisdom nudius tertius, aut ex quo loquutus es ad to choose fit instruments, and to use none servum tuum. Vult Moses, hanc excusa- but whom thou dost either find or make fit tionem non esse quæsitam, quum non nuper for their employment, which I am not. tantum, aut ex quo Deus ipsum alloquebatur Others, Send by the hand of Messias, whom cœpisset balbutire, sed a longo tempore, thou wilt certainly send, and canst not dignum est, ut mittatur. Hebræi dicunt mittere per manum alicujus nuncium, quod Latini per aliquem, aut alicujus ope. Interpres send at a fitter time, nor for better work. Moses and the prophets knew that Christ would come, but the particular time of his coming was unknown to them. See 1 Pet. Samaritano-Arabicus: mitte nunc per manum i. 11. Bp. Patrick.-Send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.]—The Vulgar Latin having translated the word Shilo (Gen. xlix. 10), qui mittendus est, "him that is to be sent," it hath inclined several great men to think, that Moses here desires God to send the Messiah. And quam videbis, s. quæ tibi visa fuerit, i.e., mitte cujus ministerio uti velis in hac legatione. καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον ταύτην τὴν στραφεῖσαν εἰς χειρί σου, ἐν ᾗ ποιήσεις ἐν several of the ancient fathers (Just. Mart., ὄφιν λήψῃ ἐν τῇ Tertull., and St. Cyprian, &c.) were of this auT Tà onμeîa. signs. Ged., Booth.-And take thou that rod in thine hand (which was turned into a serpent) [LXX.], with which thou shalt do the signs, Ver. 19. μετὰ δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου. 19 εἶπε δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν ἐν Μαδιάμ. βάδιζε, ἄπελθε εἰς Αἴγυπτον. τεθνήκασι γὰρ πάντες οἱ ζητοῦντές σου τὴν ψυχήν. Au. Ver.-19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. mind as many later interpreters, both of Au. Ver.-17 And thou shalt take this the Roman and of the Reformed Churches, rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do have been; particularly Flaccius Illyricus (in his Clavis upon the word mitto) thus explains this passage: "Manda id functionis, &c.; commit this office to the true Messiah, or blessed Seed, whom thou hast resolved to send; who will discharge this trust far better than I can do," &c. But there have been, and are other very considerable persons, who think Moses means no more than this, Send a more proper person, one fitter for this employment than I am. And the truth is, such speeches as these in Scripture do not denote any certain person or thing; but signify something indefinite and in general. Examples of which we have in 1 Sam. xxiii. 13; 2 Sam. xv. 20; upon which phrase, vado quo vado, "I go whither I may," the same Flaccius observes, that it denotes an uncertain motion. In like manner, Moses here determines his desire to no particular person; but only wishes God would send anybody rather than himself. And that he did not think of the Messiah, there is this argument that he had no reason to believe he was now born; and yet God's promise was to send one immediately to relieve the Israelites. Upon which errand also, if he had prayed God to send him, it would argue Rosen. Moreover Jehovah had said unto Moses, &c. Ged. For (after so many days) the king of Egypt was now dead,* and the Lord had said unto Moses in Midian, &c. So the LXX. and Copt., Dr. A. Clarke, and others, consider this addition was an ancient gloss which in process of time crept into the text. Ver. 20. Ged. and Booth. place this verse after verse 23. Ver. 21. Esra sic exponit: mitte per manum alterius, quem volueris mittere. Vel omissum est εἶπε δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν. πορευομένου Pron. relat., ut plene verba ita so- σov κаì ȧпоσтρépоvтos eis Alyvπтоν, öρа narent: πέψη της τον Μ ετην που, πάντα τὰ τέρατα, ἃ δέδωκα ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου, mitte eum hominem, quem missurus es, i.e., ποιήσεις αὐτὰ ἐναντίον Φαραώ. ἐγὼ δὲ σκληmitte alium, qui idoneus tibi visus fuerit. ρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξαποστείλῃ Onkelos mitte nunc per manum ejus, qui Tòv λaóv. Au. Ver.-21 And the LORD said unto | Which seem to signify a gradual increase of Moses, When thou goest to return into his obstinacy, till at last it grew very grievEgypt, see that thou do all those wonders ous. For the last word (cavad) intends before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine and increases the sense whether it be in good hand: but I will harden his heart, that he or evil qualities. shall not let the people go. Dr. A. Clarke.-21 But I will harden his Ged. The Lord [Heb., Booth., Jehovah]|heart.] The case of Pharaoh has given rise said to Moses, "When thou shalt have re- to many fierce controversies, and to several turned into the land of Egypt, see that thou strange and conflicting opinions. Would do before Pharaoh all the prodigies which I men but look at the whole account without have empowered thee to do. But I will so the medium of their respective creeds, they harden his heart, that he will not let the would find little difficulty to apprehend the people go." truth. If we take up the subject in a theoI will so harden, &c.-Nothing but a total logical point of view, all sober Christians unacquaintance with the Oriental style could will allow the truth of this proposition of St. have, hence, given rise to the absurd idea, | Augustine, when the subject in question is that God really hardened the heart of Pha- a person who has hardened his own heart by raoh. Everywhere in Scripture God is said to do what he permits, whether good or bad, and especially if the thing done be uncommon, and out of the ordinary course of things. Let it suffice to have, once for all, made this remark.-Ged. frequently resisting the grace and Spirit of God: Non obdurat Deus impertiendo malitiam, sed non impertiendo misericordiam; Epist. 194, ad Sixtum. "God does not harden men by infusing malice into them, but by not imparting mercy to them." And this other will be as readily credited: Non operatur Deus in homine ipsam duritiam cordis; sed indurare eum dicitur quem mollire noluerit, sic etiam excæcare quem illuminare noluerit, et repellere eum quem noluerit vocare. "God does not work this hardness of heart in man; but he may be said to harden him whom he refuses to soften, to blind him whom he refuses to enlighten, and to repel him whom he refuses Booth. Yet I will permit his heart to be so hardened that he will not let the people go. Pool. In thine hand, i.e., in thy power or commission, to be done by thy hand, and the rod in it. I will harden his heart, that he shall be unmerciful to all the groans and pressures of the Israelites, inexorable to the requests of Moses, unmovable and incorrigible by all my words and works. But God doth not properly and positively make men's hearts hard, but only privatively, to call." It is but just and right that he either by denying to them, or withdrawing from them, that grace which alone can make men soft, and flexible, and pliable to the Divine will; as the sun hardens the clay by drawing out of it that moisture which made it soft; or by exposing them to those temptations of the world or the devil, which, meeting with a corrupt heart, are apt to harden it. Bp. Patrick. I will harden his heart, &c. The meaning is not, that God would harden his heart at the first, as soon as Moses began to work his signs: no more than that he would, at the first, slay his firstborn, as he threatens, ver. 23. But, as at last he intended to slay his firstborn, if he would not be humbled by other plagues; so in conclusion he resolved to harden his heart, after Pharaoh had often hardened it himself. There are three distinct words used in this story about this matter: the first is chazak, the next is kashah, and the third is cavad. should withhold those graces which he had repeatedly offered, and which the sinner had despised and rejected. Thus much for the general principle. The verb p, chazak, which we translate harden, literally signifies to strengthen, confirm, make bold, or courageous; and is often used in the sacred writings to excite to duty, perseverance, &c., and is placed by the Jews at the end of most books in the Bible as an exhortation to the reader to take courage, and proceed with his reading, and with the obedience it requires. It constitutes an essential part of the exhortation of God to Joshua, chap. i. 7: Only be thou STRONG, TM, rak chazak. And of Joshua's dying exhortation to the people, chap. xxiii. 6: Be ye therefore VERY COURAGEOUS, Dnpm, vachazaktem, to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law. Now it would be very strange in these places to translate the word harden; Only be thou hard, Be ye therefore very |