raoh hardened his own Heart: He continued in his obftinacy after the Magicians were baffled, and were forced to ac knowledge the Finger of God. See v. 32. 20. And the LORD faid unto Mofes, rife up early in the morning, and ftand before Pharaoh, (lo he cometh forth to the water) and fay unto him, Thus faith the LORD, Let my people ge, that they may serve me. 21. Swarms of flies: Or, Amixture of noifom Beafts. 21. Elfe, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will fend fwarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy fervants, and upon thy people, and into thy houfes and the boufes of the Egyptians Shall be full of swarms of flies, and alfo the ground where on they are. : 22. I will fever, &c. By making this wonderfull difference dered the more conthis Plague was ren victive, and Pharaoh the more inexcufable. 23. A divifion: Heb. A redemption: And fo it was to the and Redemption, and a distinguishing Mercy. See Pfal. 111.9. Isa. 43.2, 3. To morrow: Or, By tomorrow. 24. And the LORD did fo: and there came a grievous Swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his fervants houfes, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the fwarm of flies. 24. There came: See wifd. 16.9. A grievous fwarm: Not onely a very troublefome but a very numerous fwarm. Cor rupted: Or, destroy-, ed. 25. And Pharaoh called for Mofes and for Aaron, and faid, Go ye, facrifice to your God in the land. 26. And 26. It is not meet: 26. And Mofes faid, It is not meet fo to do: for we shall facrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: Lo, fhall we facrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? It is not right, God having called the IV. ch.3. 18. The araelites out of Egypt, bomination of the Egyptians: Or, The things which the Egyptians worship, as the Vulgar and the Chaldee underftand the words; at leaft, the Beasts which the Egyptians abstain from, and will neither eat nor kill, V. Gen. 43. 32. and the Notes on that place. 27: We will go three days journey into the wilderness, and facrifice to the LORD our God, as be Shall command us. 27. As he shall: See ch. 3.18. 28. And Pharaoh faid, I will let you go, that ye may Sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness: onely you shall not go very far away: intreat for me. 29. And Mofes faid, Bebold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his fervants, and from his people to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more, in not letting the people go to facrifice to the LORD. 30. And Mofes went out from Pharaoh, and intreat ed the LORD. 31. And the LORD did according to the word of Mofes: and he removed the fwarms of flies from Pharaob, from his fervants, and from his people: there remained not one. heart at this time al 32. And Pharaoh hardened bis 32. Hardened bis heart at this time alfo, neither would be let the people go. fo: As he had done before (v. 19.) fo he did again, after a new Plague, that fpoke not onely the Power but the peculiar Providence of God (v. 22, 23.) and all this after his Magicians had acknowledged the Power of God, X 4 СНАР, CHA P. IX. The ARGUMENT. A grievous Murrain. Pharaoh's Heart is hardened The plague of Hail, and the Pharaoh fues to Mofes and from it, and promifeth to let the Ifraelites go. The Hail is removed; and Pharaoh thereupon hardens bis Heart, and refufeth to let the People go. TH Hen the LORD faid unto Mofes, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus faith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may ferve me. 2. For if thou refufe to let them go, and wilt hold them ftill, 3. Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattel, which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the affes, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the Sheep: there fhall be a very grievous murrain. 3. A very grievous murrain: i.e. A great and general Mortaliv.6. What we renty, as appears from der Murrain, fignifies the Pestilence when it is referred unto Men, and is very frequently, by the Greek, rendered by a word which fignifies Death. 4. And the LORD fhall fever between the cattel of Ifrael, and the cattel of Egypt: and there fhall nothing die of all that is the childrens of Ifrael 5. And the LORD appointed a fet time, faying, To morrow the LORD fhall do this thing in the land. 4, 5. And the LORD, &c.This great Plague was accompanied with fome circumftances,which did render it more fit to work upon Pharaoh : Viz. [I.] That the Ifraelites did not fuffer by it, which was an argument of God's particular particular care and providence, v. 4. And, [II.] That God fet a time when it fhould happen, which was an ar gument that it was God's work,.v. 5. 6. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the not one. 7. And Pharaoh fent, and bebold, there was not one of the cattel of the Ifraelites dead. And the beart of Pharaoh was hardned, and he did not let the people go 6. All the cattel. i.e. All that was in the Field, v. 3. 7. And Pharaob fent, &c. And by this means he was affured of the truth of what is faid, (v.4) and therefore left without excuse for his Infidelity. 8. And the LORD faid unto Mofes, and unto Aaron, Take to you handfulls of ashes of the furnace, and let Mo, fes fprinkle it towards the heaven in the fight of Pharaoh. 9. And it fhall become small duft in all the land of Egypt, and fhall be a boyl breaking forth with blains, upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. 10. And they took afhes of the furnace, and ftood before Pharaoh, and Mofes fprinkled it up toward heaven and it became a boyl breaking forth with blains, upon man, and upon beaft. 11. And the magicians could not ftand before Mofes, because of the boyl: for the beyl was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egypti ans. their folly being now manifeft, 10. And Mofes fprinkled: It is very probable that Aaron did fo likewife, it be that they took afbes. ing faid of them both, Aboyl: See Rev.16.2. 11. Could not stand before Mofes: Thefe Magicians at the firft now are not able to withstood Mofes, but ftand before him, 2 Tim. 3. 8, 9. 13. And 12. And the LORD hardned the beart of Pharaoh, and he bearkned not unto them; as the LORD bad spoken unto Moses: 12. And the LORD hardned: This God is not faid to have done till now after five Plagues were paft, and Pharaoh had hardened his own heart. God left him to the wickedness of his own heart, when he had fundry times hardened himself before. As the LORD: Ch. 4. 21. 13. And the LORD faid unto Mofes, Rife up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and fay unto bim, Thus faith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may ferve me. 14. For I will at this time fend all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy fervants, and upon thy people: that thou mayeft know that there is none like me in all the earth. 14. All my plagues? i, e. All that I have determined to inflict. Thine heart: Which thall be wounded with grief and fear. 15. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may fmite thee, and thy people with peftilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. 16. And in very deed for this caufe have I raised thee up, for to Shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared through out all the earth. 16. For this caufe ; Rom. 9. 17. Have Iraifed thee up: Heb. Ihave preferved thee, Made thee ftand: i.a. and kept thee alive, notwithstanding the foregoing Plagues which have been inflicted. He may be faid to be raised up, who is preserved alive when he was in danger of dying, fam. 5. 15, Thou haft been kept, or preferved; fo the Greek render it. 17. As yet exalteft thou thy felf against my people, that zhou wilt not let them go? 18. Behold, to morrow about this time, I will cause it to rain a very grievous bail, fuch as hath not been in Egypt, fince the foundation thereof, even untill now. 18. Since the foundation thereof: i. e, Since it became a natign, V, 24. 19. Send |