unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury nie. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. 7 And Joseph went up to bury his father and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the thrashing-floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan; and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning the preparation of the body, and thirty more in the various rites of mourning: Or forty days might be regarded by the children of Israel as a sufficient period, while the other thirty were added by the Egyptians, according to their custom, in honour of the father of their preserver. Ver. 13. Chap. to the Egyptians: wherefore the they said, Behold, we be thy ser vants. 19 And Joseph said unto them, 12 And his sons did unto him Fear not; for am I in the place of according as he commanded them: God? 13 For his sons carried him into 20 But as for you, ye thought the land of Canaan, and buried him evil against me; but God meant it in the cave of the field of Mach-unto good, to bring to pass, as it pelah, which Abraham bought with is this day, to save much people the field, for a possession of a bury-alive. ing-place, of Ephron the Hittite, 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I before Mamre. will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. 14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. 22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten 15 And when Joseph's breth-years. ren saw that their father was dead, 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's they said, Joseph will peradventure children of the third generation: hate us, and will certainly requite the children also of Machir, the us all the evil which we did unto son of Manasseh, were brought up him. upon Joseph's knees. 16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, 17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. 18 And his brethren also went xlvi. 4. This divine promise had 24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. shall endeavour to promote your welfare, and the establishment of the family in perpetual peace and prosperity. Ver. 25. That is, he obliged them to take an oath that they would bury him in Canaan, founding his desire upon the divino promise that their posterity should certainly inherit the land. THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED EXODUS. This book embraces the history of one hundred and forty-five years, commencing with that of the world 2369, and is called the Book of Exodus, or of the "Going forth," from the account which it gives of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Its records are of the highest importance to the history of religion. They present the fulfilment of many of the divine promises; instruct us respecting the proceedings of God's providence against the wicked and disbelieving, and in favour of his true worshippers; and shew, in Moses and Aaron, and in the various circumstances attending the old covenant, how Christ and his Church were, in all things and at all times, the objects at which revelation directly pointed. CHAPTER I. NOW these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt: every man and his household came with Jacob. 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were zeventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. 6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceed- 8 Now there arose up a new 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built Ver. S. This new king is sup-to a want of acquaintance with the posed to have been Amenophis, or individuals alluded to. Ver. 9. Ramesses, and his not knowing Joseph may be ascribed to his being of a different line of princes to the Pharaoh who protected Israel and his family. But the phrase, not to know," is often used in Scripture to express anger er disiasour, without any reference Two hundred and ten or two hun- for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Roamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mcrtar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. 15. And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives; (of which the name of the one was Shiphrab, and the name of the other Puah ;) 16 And he said, When ye do the having become formidable to a suspicious monarch ought not to create surprise. The unsettled state of the country, and the hostility of neighbouring nations, would also contribute to augment this jealousy on the part of the Egyptian rulers, and lead to the exercise of all those arts of barbarous policy which characterized him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. oice of a midwife to the Hebrew | brought 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come is unto them. AND there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to rife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and Dare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with ime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid if in the flags by the river's brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side: and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharash's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. 9And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give And the woman thee thy wages. took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she so many of the ancient governments.Ver. 21. Made them Loser: that is, established their families. For a similar expression, Bee Sam. ii. 35; 2 Sam. vii. 11; Psal, exxvii. 1. Ver. 10. Moses: that is, Drawn The history of Moses is another powerful exemplification of the workings of Divine Providence. An almost infinite variety minute circumstances, and agents the most opposite, were brought to act together in his preservation. But the natural order of events appeared not altered, nor was the free agency of any of those concerned about him sacrificed or violated. So wonderfully does the 11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spled an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? 19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. 20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. 23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up unto God, by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. CHAPTER III. NOW Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back-side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Periz zites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. 13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they Almighty effect his purposes, while mountain of God, either on account Ver. 1. Horeb was called the shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent the unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 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. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 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. CHAPTER IV. AND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine 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. 6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 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. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water, which thou takest out of the river, shall become blood upon the dry land. 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not 1 the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 1 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15 And thou shalt speak unto hin, 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 he shall be thy spokesman 2 And the LORD said unto him, unto the people: and he shall be, What is that in thine hand? Anderen he shall be to thee instead of he said, A rod. a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the 17 And thou shalt take this rod eminent commentators, however, Israelites afford a very clear explasuppose the contrary; but Moses nation of the apparent difficulty. required present encouragement They had been long oppressed, and and assurance, and this the pro- subjected to extreme labour by the phecy, or promise of something Egyptians; and it may easily be future, could not give.-Ver. 14. understood, that, if their children The Almighty expressed his eter- were put to death at the command nity, and the unchangeableness of of their iniquitous rulers, their his nature, by this name. Jeho possessions would not be spared. vah" expresses the same attributes, God, by the direction here given, and is derived from the same root.permitted them to seek the redress Ver. 22. The express permission of their injuries by the only method of God, it has been often remarked, rendered this spoiling of the Egyptians lawful; because, as it is he alone who, according to the good pleasure of his will, giveth, so may he, as he seeth it good, take away. But the circumstances of the left them. Ver. 1. Moses was now himself convinced that it was indeed Jehovah who talked with him, but he still felt apprehensive that the Israelites would doubt the truth of his mission.-Ver. 16. In the place in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. 18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in hine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first. born. 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. 27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped CHAPTER V. AND afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may of God: that is, his superior and guide-the director of whatever he shall say and do.-Ver. 24. The cause of the divine anger against Moses has not been distinctly ascer tained; but it is evident, that whatever obscurity rests on the accompanying circumstances, his neglect of circumcision was the main source of God's displeasure. He had yielded to the persuasions of his wife Zipporah, who was probably unacquainted with the great necessity of the rite; and, considering the situation in which he now stood, this was an instance of neglect, and want of faith in the covenant made with his fathers, which could not but merit, ม 18 Go therefore now and work: for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Loan, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the 19 And the officers of the children LORD, neither will I let Israel go. of Israel did see that they were in 3 And they said, The God of the evil case, after it was said, Ye shall Hebrews hath met with us: let us not minish ought from your bricks go, we pray thee, three days' jour-of your daily task. bey into the desert, and sacrifice Ento the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. 4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. 5 And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, 7 Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. 9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words. 10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. 11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. 14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore. 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried Bato Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick and, behold, thy fervants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people. 17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD. 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh : 21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. 22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. CHAPTER VI. THEN the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage; and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments. 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. 9 And Moses spake so unto the tended not to know. - Ver. 21. Moses had not yet done any thing to convince the people of his appointment. But had they not fallen into forgetfulness of their origin, and of the promises given them, they would not thus have upbraided those who were striving to deliver them from bondage. Ver. 3. Learned men have differently explained the latter part of this verse. As the name Jehovah itself was known to the patriarchs, some commentators suppose that what is said of its being not known refers to the full, spiritual, and essential meaning of that solemn appellation of the Deity: others 12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 13 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 14 These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israe!; Hanoch, and Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi toere an hundred thirry and seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon; Libni and Shimi, according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19 And the sons of Merari; Mabli and Mushi: these are the families of Levi, according to their generations. 20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar; Korali, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25 And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinchas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their families. 26 These are that Aaron and take the sentence interrogatively, and render it, And was I not also known to them by my name Jehovah?" According to this interpretation, which appears the clearest of any, the words of God imply that he revealed himself unto the fathers both in his power, indicated by the name "Almighty," and in his essence, described by the mysterious term Jehovah, which is indicative of self-existence, eternity, and unchangeableness.-Ver. 4. Gen. xvii. 7. Ver. 12. Of uncircumcised lips: that is, of weak, broken speech. The word uncircumcised is often used in Scripture to rigoly Moses, to whom the LORD said, | man his rod, and they became after that the LORD had smitten the Bring out the children of Israel serpents: but Aaron's rod swal- river. from the land of Egypt, according to their armies. 27 These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to pass, on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? CHAPTER VII. AND the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. 8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. 10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For they cast down every any thing either imperfect or unclean. Ver. 1. Have made thee a god to Pharaoh: that is, the minister of divine decrees and judgments, so that his rejection of thy demands shall bring upon him the severest punishment. Ver. 3. That God was not the cause of Pharaoh's sin is evident from the conduct of that reprobate monarch in his first interview with Moses and Aaron. We may be sure, therefore, that by the expression I will harden," the Almighty did not mean that he would destroy the freedom of his will, or lead him blindfold into guilt, but rather that, foreseeing how his commands would be contradicted, and his demonstrations lowed up their rods. 13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go. 15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning: lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. 16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldst not hear. 17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. 19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch 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 vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded: and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, 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 so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. 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 seven days were fulfilled, of power despised, the very repetition of his warnings would only afford new proofs of the tyrant's obstinacy, and lead, by their perverse rejection, to his becoming more and more hardened in sin. Ver. 4. That I may lay: that is, he will do this, and the consequence will be, that I shall lay my hand upon his dominions. Ver. 11. The wonders wrought by the sorcerers of Egypt were the work of that great spirit of evil, whose chief power has been exercised from the beginning of time in practising the arts of deceiving. "They shall believe a lie" is the awful curse pronounced upon the proud and sensual, and it is one of the first cares of the Almighty to pre CHAPTER VIII AND the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs : 3 And the rivers shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up, and come into thine house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, 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 servants. 5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to 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 so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. 9 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? 10 And he said, To-morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Load our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. 12 And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; 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 stank. serve his people from the machinations of Satan, by affording them, wherever he is at work, greater and more striking evidences of the truth.-Ver. 20. This punishment was especially heavy on the Egyptians. Their only drink was furnished by the waters of the Nile, and the fish which it produced was their chief food. Ver. 8. Pharaoh himself, it is probable, suffered more from this second wonder than from the first; but the continued power of Moses and Aaron was of itself sufficient to create the beginnings of alarm.— Ver. 9. Glory over me: that is, rejoice that you have had me to mediate for you: this is one of the several interpretations given to the |