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. Xevσate toùs Alyvñtiovs. 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.] sojourneth in her house, articles [Ged., utensils] of silver, &c. 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 dabit, i.e., non sinet vos, quo sensu net 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 poenituit. LXX. éàv assistance of an Egyptian loan. μὴ μετὰ χειρὸς κραταιᾶς. Vulgatus: nisi per manum validam, i.e., vi maxima coactus. CHAP. IV. 1. Ver. 22. ἀπεκρίθη δὲ Μωυσῆς καὶ εἶπεν. ἐὰν μὴ μου, ἐροῦσι γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπταί 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. Ged.-Again Moses answered and said, "But, lo! if they should not believe me, 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. Abự nÿp-by him? ¬982 uti docent, quæ sequuntur, vid. inprimis 15 Et licet Moses nondum expertus vs. 13. 4 וְאֶחָז בִּזְנָבוֹ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיַּחֲזֶק בּוֹ וַיְהִי,Vox est negantis et detrectantis officium לְמַטֶה בְּכַפּוֹ : נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָם אֱלֹהֵי esset Israelitarum diffidentiam, loqui tamen אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב : eum ex persuasione sua non est incongruum. opus 4 καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν. ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς κέρκου. ἐκτείνας οὖν τὴν χεῖρα ἐπελάβετο τῆς κέρκου. καὶ ἐγένετο ῥάβδος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. 5 iva πιστεύσωσί σοι, ὅτι ὦπταί σοι ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν, θεὸς ̔Αβραὰμ, καὶ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ θεὸς ̓Ιακώβ. 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. 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 PhaPool.-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. See the like in (vπepμeyéOns Spákwv, 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. Ni καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου αὐτοῦ. Au. Ver.-6 And the Lord said further more unto him, Put now thine hand into thy | forsan ab infantia. Vocula D, uti solent And when he took it out. [So the Heb.] Gede 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 .valet anteu, ut Gen מִתְּמוֹל מִשִׁלְשֹׁם Nam gravis ore et כִּי כְּבַד וגו' gravis lingua sum ego, ore et lingua impe- Ver. 11. אוֹ מִי־יָשׂוּם אִלָם אוֹ חֵרֵשׁ אוֹ פִקְחַ 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. 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 דַּבֶּרְךְ אֶל־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי ? the blind? have not I the Lord כְבַד פָּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי : Ged., Booth.-And Jehovah said to him, or who εἶπε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον. δέομαι κύριε. who giveth utterance to man? 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. Au. Ver.-10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent [Heb., a man of words], neither heretofore [Heb., since yesterday, nor since the third day], nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. I am not. Ged. I never was. Au. Ver. But I am slow of speech, &c. and a faltering tongue. καὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς. δέομαι κύριε. προχείρισαι δυνάμενον ἄλλον, ὃν ἀποστελεῖς. 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 shouldest send. utterance. Rosen. De voce cf. ad Gen. xliii. 20. Pool.-By one who is fitter for the work IN DIE WON NS, 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; - 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 several of the ancient fathers (Just. Mart., Tertull., and St. Cyprian, &c.) were of this mind: as many later interpreters, both of the Roman and of the Reformed Churches, 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 quam videbis, s. quæ tibi visa fuerit, i.e., mitte cujus ministerio uti velis in hac legatione. Ver. 17. Esra sic exponit: mitte per manum alterius, quem volueris mittere. Vel omissum est Pron. relat., ut plene verba ita sonarent: πέψη της τον Μακης που, mitte eum hominem, quem missurus es, i.e., mitte alium, qui idoneus tibi visus fuerit. Onkelos mitte nunc per manum ejus, qui εἶπε δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν. πορευομένου σov κaì ȧáπоσтρépoνтos eis Alyvтov, öpa πάντα τὰ τέρατα, ἃ δέδωκα ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου, ποιήσεις αὐτὰ ἐναντίον Φαραώ. ἐγὼ δὲ σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξαποστείλῃ ròv 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. do before Pharaoh all the prodigies which I have empowered thee to do. But I will so harden his heart, that he will not let the people go." I will so harden, &c.-Nothing but a total unacquaintance with the Oriental style could have, hence, given rise to the absurd idea, that God really hardened the heart of Pharaoh. 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. Would men but look at the whole account without the medium of their respective creeds, they would find little difficulty to apprehend the truth. If we take up the subject in a theological point of view, all sober Christians will allow the truth of this proposition of St. Augustine, when the subject in question is a person who has hardened his own heart by 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 Booth. Yet I will permit his heart to be other will be as readily credited: Non so hardened that he will not let the people go. operatur Deus in homine ipsam duritiam Pool.-In thine hand, i.e., in thy power cordis; sed indurare eum dicitur quem or commission, to be done by thy hand, and mollire noluerit, sic etiam excæcare quem the rod in it. I will harden his heart, that illuminare noluerit, et repellere eum quem he shall be unmerciful to all the groans and noluerit vocare. "God does not work this pressures of the Israelites, inexorable to the hardness of heart in man; but he may be requests of Moses, unmovable and incor- said to harden him whom he refuses to rigible by all my words and works. But soften, to blind him whom he refuses to God doth not properly and positively make enlighten, and to repel him whom he refuses 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, P, rak chazak. And of Joshua's dying exhortation to the people, chap. xxiii. 6: Be ye therefore VERY COURAGEOUS, cnpm, 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 |