15. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning, lo, he goeth out unto the water, and thou shalt ftand by the river's brink, against he come: and the rod which was turned to a ferpent fhalt thou take in thine band.

15. Goeth out: Mofes is directed to take this opportunity of meeting with ing perhaps eafie for Pharaoh, it not behim to have access to his Court.

16. And thou shalt fay unto him, 16. In the wilderThe LORD God of the Hebrews nefs: See the Note hath fent me unto thee, faying, Let on ch.5. IVG NOUTR my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and behold, hitherto thou wouldeft not hear.

with the rod that is in mine hand: God directs, and Aaron commands, Mofes fmites (v. 19, 20.) And God may be therefore faid to do

17. Thus faith the LORD, In. 17. I will fmite this thou shalt know that I am the LORD behold, I will fmite with the rod that is in mine hand, upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. that which by his Command was done, and by his Power. To blood: This was a great plague to the Egyptians, who wanted Rain (Deut. 11. 10, 11.) and were by this means deprived of their Food from the Fifh (v. 18. and Numb. 11.5.) and of their Drink alfo (v.18.)

18. And the fish that is in the river fhall die, and the river fhall ftink; and the Egyptians fhall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

19. And the LORD fpake unto Mofes, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and ftretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in veffels of wood, and in veffels of stone.

20. And Mofes and Aaron did fo, as the LORD commanded: and he lift up the rod and fmote the waters that were in the river, in the fight of Pharaoh, and in the fight of his fervants and all the waters that were in the river, were turned to blood.

20.Turned to blood: And, that fo it was, appears from what the Fifh died, and follows (v. 21.) that the River did stink, fo that the Egypti ans could not drink as formerly.

21. And the fifb that was in the river died: and the river funk, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river: and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22. And the magicians of Egypt did fo with their inchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he bearken unto them, as the LORD had faid.

all at once; befides that they digged from verf. 24. Vid. Wifd. 17.7.

23: And Pharaoh turned and went into his houfe, neither did he fet his heart to this alfo.

22. And the Mi gicians of Egypt did Jo: And that they ters being changed might do, the Wa fucceffively, and not for Waters, as appears

23. Neither did he fet his heart: i.e. He regarded not: This fpeaks his wilfull neglect. See v. 16.

24. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

25. And feven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had Smitten the river.

С НА Р. VIII.

The ARGUMENT.

The Plague of Frogs. The Magicians do alfo the like. Pharaoh fues to Mofes and Aaron for the removal of the

Frogs,

Frogs, and promifeth thereupon to dismiss the Ifraelites. The Frogs are removed. Pharaoh hardens his Heart. The Plague of Lice. The Magicians not able to do the like. The Plague of Flies. Pharaoh inclines to let the Ifraelites go, but upon the removal of them hardens bis Heart.

A

ND the LORD fpake unto Mofes, Go unto Pha raob, and fay unto him, Thus faith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

2. And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will fmite all thy bor ders with frogs.

A

3. And the river fhall bring forth frogs abundantly, which fhall go up and come into thine house,

2. All thy borders: i.e. The whole Land of Egypt. 3.Kneading-troughs Or, Dongh.

and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the boufe of thy fervants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs.

4. And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy fervants.

5. And the LORD fpake unto Mofes, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and caufe frogs ta come up upon the land of Egypt.

6. And Aaron Stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

7. And the magicians did fo with their inchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt:

8. Then Pharaoh called for Mo fes and Aaron, and faid, Intreat the LORD, that he may take a way the frogs from me, and from my people and I will let the peo

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7. And the magici ans: Wild. 17.7. See the Notes on ch.7.12.

8. Intreat the

LORD: Pharaoh is forced to this, his able to remove the Magicians not being Frogs which they

were

ple go, that they may do facrifice un

to the LORD.

9. And Mofes faid unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy fervants, and for thy people, to deftroy the frogs from thee, and thy boufes, that they may remain in the river onely.

were permitted to bring upon the Egyptians.

9. Glory over me: Or, Have this ho nour over me, i. e Have thou the honour of appointing me the time when I fhall intreat

the

Lord for thee. See

2. 10. and Judg. 7. 2. When: Or, Againft when. To deftroy: Heb. To cut off.

10. And he said, Te morrow.

10. To morrow :

And be faid, Be it according to Or, Against to morthy word: that thou mayeft know

that there is none like unto the

LORD our God.

row.

II. And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy boufes, and from thy fervants, and from thy people; they fhall remain in the river onely.

12. And Mofes and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Mofes cried unto the LORD, because of the frogs which he had brought against

Pharaoh.

12. Because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh Or, Concern

ing the appointed time which was agreed on

before for the removing the Frogs. In this Senfe the Greek understood the words.

13. And the LORD did according to the word of Mofes and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields.

14. And they gathered them together, upon heaps, and the land ftank.

That the Plague was removed.

15. But when Pharaoh faw that 15. Refpite: i. e. there was refpite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as the LORD had faid.

16. And

16. And the LORD faid unto Mofes, Say unto Aaron, ftretch out thy rod, and fmite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

17. And they did fo: for Aaron ftretched out his hand with bis rod, and fmote the duft of the earth, and it became lice, in man and in beaft: all the duft of the land became lice, throughout all the land of Egypt.

17. Lice: One of the Ancients inquires, Why God punished fuch vile and inconthe Egyptians with fiderable Animals,rather than with Bears, Leopards, Lions, and fuch ravenous Crea

tures, or the Serpents of Egypt, which would quickly have destroyed them! And his anfwer is, That God defigned to correct not to deftroy the Egyptians: For had he defigned their deftruction he needed not the help of any Animals, he might have done it by Plague or Famine. When Men (lays he) wage War they furnish themselves with the most powerfull affiftance; but the powerfull God, when he defigns to inflict evils, makes use of the smallest and most inconfiderable Inftruments; what smaller than Lice, and yet the Egyptians were forced to own the Finger of God [Phil. de vit. Mol. 1. 1.]

18. And the magicians did fo with their inchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: fo there were lice upon man and upon beaft.

19. Then the magicians faid unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. And Pharaoh's heart was

18. Did fo: i. e. They attempted to do the like.

19. This is the finger of God: Or, This Plague is of the Chaldee. The God's inflicting: See Power of God is re

hardened, and he bearkened not unto them, as the LORD had faid. prefented by his Hand or Finger in the Scripture Phrafe, Pf.8. 3. See Luk. 11.20. The Magicians do here confefs God's Work, and are not able to do the fame. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened: These are the fame words in the Hebr. with thofe ch. 7. 13. and they do imply, that Pha

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rach