water of the river, and pour it upon the dry-land: and the water which thon takeft out of the river, shall become blood upon the dry-land." 10 And Mofes faid unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor. Since thou haft spoken unto thy fervant but I am flow of speech, and of a flow tongue. 10. Eloquent: Heb A man of words: ie. He was not of a rea dy fpeech or utterance. Heretofore Heb. Since yesterday, nor fince the third day Hebrews this is, by An ufual form of fpeech among the which they defcribe the time palt. Nor fince thou haft fpoken, &c. e. This want of utterance hath not been removed fince thou haft given me Commiffion to go into E&APS Toll's 10 st. Lut རྩ And the LORD faid unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the feeing, the blind? have not I the LORD? 12. Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thon fhalt Say ni medt Jug vhist And be faid, O my Lord, fend, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt fend. Meffias, whom God would fend. who is fit to be fent, fays the Chaldee. 12. With thy mouth: See Matth. 10. 19. Mark 13. 11. Luke 12. II. 13. Wilt fend: Or, shouldeft fend. Many have thought that Mofes means the Send by the hand of him 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Mofes, and be faid, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And alfo behold, be cometh forth to meet thee: and when he feeth thee, be will be glad in his heart. 15. And thou fealt Speak unto him, and put words in his mouth and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16. And 16. And be fhall be thy Spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he fhall be to thee in ftead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in ftead of God. 16. Thou shalt be to him inftead of God: Vid. Ch. 7. 1. Thou and make my Will fhalt command him, known to him. 17. And thon fhalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do figns. 18. And Mofes went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and faid unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren, which are in Egypt, and fee whether they be yet alive. And Jethro faid to Mofes, Go in peace. 19. And the LORD faid unto Mofes in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which fought thy life. 20. And Mofes took his wife, and his fons, and fet them upon an afs, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Mofes took the rod of God in his hand. 1 20. Sons: His two Sons, Gershom and is very ufual with the Sacred Writers. The rod of God: i.e. The Rod or Staff which God commanded him to take, (v. 17.) and with which he was to work Signs. 21. And the LORD faid un to Mofes, When thou goeft to return into Egypt, fee that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he fhall not let the people go. 22. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus faith the LORD, Ifrael is my son, even my first born. U 2 21. I will harden, &c. i. e. I will (after he hath hardened his own heart) leave him to his ftubbornness 22. First-born: i.e. Beloved and favoured more than the o ther Nations, as the firft-born. 23. And 1 23. And I say unto thee, Let my fon go, that he may ferve me and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will flay thy for, even thy first-born. 24. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and fought to kill him. Sought to kill him: i. e. Inflicted upon him. 25. Then Zipporah took a sharp ftone, and cut off the fore-skin of ber fon, and caft it at his feet, and faid, Surely a blouly husband art thou to me. 24. The LORD met him: The Angel of the Lord, fay the Greek and Chaldee. probably fome difeafe 25. Sharp Stone: Or, knife, which, according to the Cuof a fharpened stone; ftom then, was made vid. Jofh. 5.2. Caft it: Heb. Made it touch. His feet: i. e. The Child's whom the circumcifed. Surely a bloody Husband art thou to me: What we tranflate Husband, is obferved to fignifie Son-inlaw: And thele words are with great probability fuppofed to exprefs, that her Son was now circumcifed; and to be referred to her Son, not to Mofes, who is called a bloudy Son, because of the Circumcifion. By Circumcifion perfons were admitted into Covenant, and received into the Church and Family of the true God. And he that was thus received, might very fitly be called by this Name, which fignifies one received into a Family by Marriage: He was henceforth a Son of God, and obliged to obey the Laws of this Church or Family, Gal. 5. 3. compare Joh. 5.9. [See Mr. Mede's Difc. on the place. ] 26. So he let him go: then she said, A bloudy husband thou art, because of the circumcifion. 27. And the LORD faid to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Mofes. And he went and met him in the mount of God, and kiffed him. 28. And Mofes told Aaron all the words of the LORD, who had fent him, and all the figns which he had commanded him. 29. And Mofes and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Ifrael. 30. And 30. And Aaron Spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Mofes, and did the figns in the fight of the people. 31. And the people believed: 31. Bowed: Out and when they heard that the of Reverence and LORD had visited the children Thankfulness to God. of Ifrael, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.. CHAP. V The ARGUMENT. Pharaoh refuseth to let the Ifraelites go out of Egypt; inftead of that does encrease their task, and refufeth to hear their just Complaints. They thereupon apply themfelves to Mofes and Aaron, and Mofes reprefents their cafe to God. 1. AND afterwards Mofes and. Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael, Let my people go, that they may hold a feaft unto me in the wilderness. 1. GO. Viz. Out of 4.23. That they may hold a feast unto me: i.e. A Religious feast, Let my Son go, that he may ferve me: Ch, 4. 23. Sacrifice was a confiderable part of this Service, (v. 3.) In the Wilderness: The Wilderness was a convenient place for the Service and Worship of God, which requires great attention and abstraction: The Labors of Egypt, and the Wars and Conquefts of Canaan could not but be in great meafure an hindrance to them. And Philo brings in Mofes and Aaron, faying thus to Pharaoh, viz. That they must in the Wilderness perform their facred Rites, which were dif 1erent from thofe of other Men; and that alfo after fuch a !! 3 way way and manner as required recefs, because of the different ufages in this Divine Worship from what was elsewhere practifed or allowed, [De vit. Mol.] 2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Ifrael go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Ifrael go. 3. And they faid, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the defart, and facrifice unto the LORD your God; left he fall upon us with peftilence, or with the fword. 2. Who is the LORD, &c. The Name of the Lord is fays the Chaldee. See not revealed unto me; ch. 3. 19. 3. The God of the Hebrews hath met with us; Vid. Ch. 3. 18. The God who wrought great Deliverances for the Hebrews, and particularly for Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, who were of that Race, and is therefore able to fave his Servants. Left he fall upon us, &c. Which would prove a loss to Pharaoh. 4. And the king of Egypt said unto them, wherefore do ye, Mofes and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. ed Motives to perfuade him 4. Wherefore do ye, &c. Pharaoh takes no notice of what Mofes and Aaron faid, v. 3. which containto let them go. 5. And Pharaoh faid, Behold the people of the land now are many, and you make them reft from their burdens. 6. Task-mafters of the people and their officers: Thefe Taskmafters were Egypti 6. And Pharaoh commanded the fame day the task-mafters of the people, and their officers, Saying, ans, appointed to exact Labour from the Ifraelites. But the Officers were Ifraelites, who were by the Egyptians fet over their Brethren, and to fee that they did their task, and were to answer for their neglect. See v. 14. and v. 19. These are rendred by the Greek by a word that fignifies *** Scribes, |