ther what they would, they should find their gatherings amount to an exact omer, neither more nor less? 2. The words of Moses, if rightly translated, express the fact to have been very different from this representation of it. The word, which we translate had nothing over, should be rendered," he made to have nothing over, and in like manner the word translated had no lack, should be rendered he caused to have no lack. Now Moses was the person who thus ordered it, and the 17, 18, and 19 verses should be word for word thus translated.

Ver. 17. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.

Ver. 18. And they measured with an omer, and Moses caused him that had more, not to abound, and him that had less, not to fall short; (for they gathered, each one according to his eating.)

This is the true sense of the Hebrew verbs in the conjugation they are here used in. y in the conjugation kal, signifies to abound, or to have over, but q in hiphil is to cause to abound: thus, D in kal signifies, to fall short, or to want, but on in hiphil is to diminish, or, to cause to want. See Isaiah xxxii. 6.

In the Hebrew text, Moses the nominative case to three verbs, is put after the last, a construction very common in the ancient languages.

The words, they gathered each one according to his eating, are a remark by way of parenthesis, to give a reason for what Moses directed. He caused them that had over much, to give to them that had less than they were to

Ver. 19. And said, let no man leave of it till the morning.

So that the fact here was, that Moses directed them to give to one another; they that had more than their measure, to make up what was wanting to them who had less; that all might have their full quantity, and no more. 3, St. Paul very plainly intimates that this was the fact, by alluding to what the Israelites here did with their manna; in order to induce the Corinthians to contribute a relief to the poorer Christians, such as the Corinthians could at that time well spare out of their abundance. I mean not, says he, that other men be eased and you burthened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be an equality; as it is written, he that had gathered much, had nothing over, and he that had gathered little, had no lack.s

manna was,

Another order given to the Israelites about the that they were every day to eat what they had gathered, and to leave none all night for the next day's provision. Some of the people were not strictly careful in this point, but left some of their manna until the morning, which bred worms and stank. Every sixth day, they were to gather twice as much as on any other days, because the seventh

have, because they gathered, as we say, from hand to mouth, and it would have been of no service to have laid up 92 Corinth. viii. 13, 14, 15. . Ver. 20.

what they had to spare.

'Exod. xvi. 19.

day was the sabbath; on which day they were to gather no manna, nor do any sort of work. Accordingly on the seventh day there fell no manna, for there went out some of the people to gather, but they found none;" and what remained of the double quantity which the people gathered on the sixth day, and reserved for the seventh, did not stink, neither was there any worm therein; though if any part of any other day's gathering was not eaten on the day when it was gathered, it would not keep nor be fit to be eaten on the day following. Thus miraculously did GOD feed the people in the Wilderness for about forty years; for they had this supply of manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. Aaron, directed by Moses, in obedience to God's express command, put an omer of manna into a pot; in order to keep it in memory of the wonderful supply of food, which God had thus given them.

From the wilderness of Sin, Moses led the Israelites to Rephidim, making two short halts by the way, which are not mentioned here in Exodus, one of them was at Dophkah, the other at Alush.

t Exod. xvi. 23.

Ver. 35. Joshua v. 12.

From their

I may here hint once for all, that these and the other names we have of the several places where the Israelites made their encampments in the wilderness, are generally names given by them to the places where they stopt, and that the places were not called by any particular names, except by the Israelites upon account of their encamping at them.

encampment in the wilderness of Sin to Rephidim might be, I imagine, about twenty miles. At Rephidim they were distressed for want of water; and murmured against Moses, for bringing them into extremity. Moses cried unto the LORD, and received directions to smite a rock at mount Horeb with the rod, which he had used in performing the wonders wrought in Egypt; and upon his doing this in the sight of the elders of Israel, Gon was pleased to cause a river of water miraculously to flow out of the rock, to supply their necessities."

The most learned archbishop Usher remarks, that the rock out of which Moses thus miraculously produced the water, followed the Israelites throughout the wilderness. Tertullian is said to have been of this opinion; and the Jewish rabbins were fond of it. The most learned primate says expressly, that the rock, which Moses smote, followed them; but some other writers soften the prodigy, and assert, that the water from the rock became a river, and was made to flow after the camp, wherever the Israelites journeyed, until they came to Kadesh. The reasons given for this opinion are, 1. It is remarked, that from the time of this flow of waters from the rock at Horeb, until they came to Kadesh, the Israelites are not said to have ever wanted water; and it is argued, that they

с

Usher's Annals.

Hæe est aqua, quæ de comite petrâ populo defluebat. Tertullian. de Baptismo.

• Numb. II.

SACRED AND PROFANE

BOOK X,

must continually have wanted it in their passage through the Wilnerness, if God had not thus miraculously supplied them. 2. Some passages in the Psalms are thought to imply, that a river from the rock attended them in their journeyings. 3. It is hinted, that a text in Deuteronomy confirms this opinion; and lastly, it is pretended, that St. Paul says expressly, that the rock followed them.

1. It is said, that the Israelites never wanted water, after this supply from the rock at Horeb, until they came to Kadesh; though the wilderness they travelled through was so dry a place, that they could not have found water in it, without some continual miracle.' To this I answer, 1. We are no where told in Scripture, that God wrought this particular miracle upon the rock, in order to continue a supply of water for the Israelites, during the whole time of their journeying in the Wilderness; and if a miracle was really necessary, why this rather than some other? The Israelites knew how to dig wells when they wanted water; and it is probable that they dug many in their passage through the Wilderness, as we read they dug one at Beer; and it is reasonable to suppose that God might frequently give them water, by causing them when they dug for it, to find watersprings in a dry ground; than to suppose that a mountainous rock moved after them in their journeyings, or that any streams from it, became a river, and

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See ver. 16.