Rephidim toward that part of the Mountain called Horeb upon their murmuring for want of Water XVII 5 6. But seem to have returned thither to fight with Amalek v. 8. And then they were led by God to this other side of the Mountain which is called the Wilderness of Sinai There Israel encamped before the Mount For the glorious Cloud having led them hither rested upon the Mount as appears from the words following Ver. 3. And Moses went up unto God Whose glorious Majesty appeared upon the Mount And the LORD called unto him out of the Mountain Or rather for the LORD called to him out of the Mountain where the Divine Glory rested unto which he would not have presumed to go if the LORD had not called to him to come up thither Which was upon the second day of the third Month. Thus shalt thou say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel There was some reason sure for calling them by these two names the House of Jacob and the Children of Israel which perhaps was to put them in mind that they who had lately been as low as Jacob when he went to Padan-Aram were now grown as great as God made him when he came from thence and was called Israel Ver. 4. You have seen There needs no proof for you your selves are witnesses What I did unto the Egyptians Smote them with divers sore Plagues and at last drowned them and their Chariots in the Red Sea And how I bare you on Eagles wings Kept you so safe and placed you so far out of the reach of your Enemies as if you had been borne up on high by an Eagle Which are observed to carry their young ones not in their feet as other Birds were wont to do but on their Wings and to soar so high and with so swift a motion that none can pursue them much less touch them Bochartus hath observed all the Properties ascribed to the Eagle with respect to which Interpreters have thought God's care of his People to be here compared with that Bird Hierozoic P. II. L. II. c. 5. But after all he judiciously concludes that Moses best explains his own meaning in his famous Song XXXII Deut. 11. where the Eagles fluttering about her Nest and making a noise to stir up her young ones to leave their dirty Nest and try their Wings represents the many means God had used to rouze up the drooping Spirits of the Israelites when they lay miserably oppressed under a cruel Servitude and incourage them to aspire after Liberty and to obey those whom he sent to deliver them And brought you unto my self And by that means brought you hither to live under my Government For this was the very Foundation of his peculiar Empire over them that he had ransom'd and redeemed them out of Slvery by a mighty Hand and stretched out Arm as he speaks XIII 3. IV Deut. 34. so as he had not delivered any other Nation and thereby by made them his own after an extraordinary manner peculiar to them alone This Joshua also recals to their mind when he was near his Death and renewed this Covenant of God with them XXIV 5 6 c. Ver. 5. Now therefore Having wonderfully delivered them and supported them in a miraculous manner by Bread from Heaven and Water out of a Rock he now proceeds to instruct them in their Duty as Greg. Nyssen observes L. de Vita Mosis p. 172. If you will obey my voice indeed c. If you will sincerely obey me as your King and Governour and keep the Covenant I intend to make with you then you shall be mine above all the People of the Earth whose LORD I am as well as yours but you shall be my peculiar Inheritance in which I will establish my Kingdom and Priesthood with such Laws as shall not only distinguish you from all other Nations but make you to excel them This is the sense of this verse and the following A peculiar treasure unto me i. e. Very dear to me and consequently I will take a singular care of you as Kings do of those things which they lay up in their Treasury So the Hebrew word Segullah signifies Which Origen proves they really were notwithstanding all the Calumnies of Celsus their Laws being so profitable and they being so early taught to know God to believe the Immortality of the Soul and the Rewards and Punishments in the Life to come and bred up to a contempt of Divination with which Mankind had been abused as proceeding rather from wicked Daemons than from any Excellent Nature and to seek for the knowledge of future things in Souls which by an extraordinary degree of Purity were rendred capable to receive the Spirit of God L. V. contra Celsum p. 260. And this the Author of Sepher Cosri happily expresses when he saith Our peculiar Blessings consist in the conjunction of Minds with God by Prophecy and that which is annexed to it that is as Muscatus explains it the Gift of the Spirit of God And therefore he doth not say in the Law if you will obey my voice I will bring you after Death into Gardens of Pleasure but ye shall be to me a People and I will be to you a God Pars I. Sect. 109. For all the Earth is mine Which made it the greater honour that he bare such a special love to them Ver. 6. And ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests An honourable or a Divine Kingdom not like worldly Kingdoms which are defended by Arms but supported by Piety Or a Princely People that should rule over their Enemies For the same word signifies both Priests and Princes and in the first times of the World none was thought fit to be a Priest but he who was a King or the Chief of the Family as we see in Melchizedek and Jethro That God was peculiarly the King of this People I observed above III. 10. and here he expresly owns this peculiar Dominion over them by saying Ye shall be to me a Kingdom And one reason perhaps why he saith they shall be a Kingdom of Priests is because they were governed while they continued a Theocracy by the High Priest as the prime Minister under God who in all weighty Causes consulted God what was to be done and accordingly they ordered their Affairs XXVIII 30. XXVIII Numb 21. Which is the reason why God commands Moses to make such Garments for Aaron as should be for glory and beauty or for honour and glory as we read v. 2. of that Chapter i.e. to make him appear great like a Prince for they were really Royal Garments And for his Sons also he was to make Bonnets of the like kind for honour and glory v. 40. they being in the form of the Tiarae which Kings wore and are joyned in Scripture with Crowns XXIX Job 14. III Isa 23 c. Whence Philo says in his Book de Sacerd. Honoribus that the Law manifestly
over Egypt Some by a New King understand a King of another Family or Race as Josephus interprets it nay a Stranger of another Nation just as New Gods are strange Gods in Scripture Language Thus Sir John Marsham and then it is no wonder that he knew not Joseph as it here follows But this is not certain and the Conceit whereby Eben Ezra justifies it which is that the word rose up implies as much is justly censured by Abarbinel as frivolous it being the common word which is used every where when a new King succeeds his Predecessor It is most likely therefore that Moses means no more but that the King in whose time Joseph died being dead likewise whom many take to have been Mephramuthosis and another after him whom they call Thutmosis the next Successor in the Throne Amenophis either had heard nothing of Joseph or did not mind what was said of him Our great Primate of Ireland gives a different account of the Succession of the Egyptian Kings and takes this King to have been Ramasses Miamum but still supposes him to have been of the old Line and not a Stranger Who knew not Joseph There is no doubt that Joseph died as he lived in high Esteem and great Reputation in that Country and that his Memory continued precious as long as any of that Generation lasted For Diodorus Siculus saith L. I. that the Egyptians above all other People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were disposed to be grateful to all those who had any way merited of them looking upon the requital of the kindness of Benefactors to be one of the greatest Supports of Humane Life And something to the same purpose is noted by Clemens Alexandrinus L. 1. Strom. p. 303. where having said that Barbarous Nations highly honoured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Lawgivers and Instructers whom they called Gods he presently adds that the Egyptians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were very careful to Deifie such Persons But if this was their inclination in times so ancient as these of Moses we must not think them all to have been so disposed or that Time did not obliterate the Memory of Benefits For this Prince whom Artapanus in Eusebius L. IX Praep. Evang. c. 27. calls Palamanothes so uncertain is his Name not having seen Joseph himself nor having any knowledge perhaps of the Benefits his Country had received by his means did not treat his Kindred so kindly as they had been used in former times But this Phrase he knew not is commonly interpreted he regarded not the Services which Joseph had done of which he is supposed not to have been ignorant For words of Knowledge in Scripture include the Affections also As God is said to know those whom he loves and not to know those whom he doth not love I Psal 6. VII Matth. 23. Whence the Jews have raised this Observation That he who forgets the Benefits he hath received from other Men at last forgets those he hath received from God For he of whom it is said here That he knew not Joseph said not long after I know not the Lord Ver. 2. But this is grounded upon a mistake for it was another Pharaoh long after this King who spake those words Ver. 9. And he said unto his People He called a Council of the great Men of the Nation to whom he represented how necessary it was to lessen the Number and weaken the Power of the Israelites Behold the People of the Children of Israel are mo and mightier than we This was not true unless he meant that no part of Egypt of that bigness had so many People and so strong as the Israelites in Goshen but he said it to awaken his People to consider how to Suppress them And perhaps he was afraid of their Power or out of Popularity would in the beginning of his Reign give a proof of his Care of his People by Suppressing Forreigners Ver. 10. Come on The Hebrew word habah is sometime used in Petitions LX Psal ult but most commonly in Exhortations when Men excite and stir up one another not to be slack in any business See XI Gen. 3. Let us deal wisely with them He would not go about to destroy them by Force being loth to lose so many Subjects but was desirous to diminish them by subtil Devices Lest they multiply Grow still more numerous and mighty Lest when there falls out any War With the Arabians Ethiopians or other neighbouring Nations For I see no reason to believe that he means the ancient Egyptians with whom the Israelites had lived in great Friendship but now were expell'd by the Shepherd Kings and the People of Thebais who at length made War with those Kings who reigned in the lower Egypt This is Sir J. Marsham's Conjecture in his Canon Chron. Sec. VIII which I thought good to mention though I do not follow it They joyn also to our Enemies and sight against us As it was natural for Men to do who were under grievous Oppressions and hoped thereby for Relief And so get them out of the Land They had heard the Israelites discourse it is likely that they never meant always to stay there their Fathers coming only to Sojourn in Egypt and the nearer the time approached when God promised to bring them from thence the more we may well think they spake of it Which raised this Jealousie that in case of any War they would joyn with their Enemies that by their Assistance they might be delivered Ver. 11. Therefore they did set over them Taskmasters c. This was the Result of the Council that they should be brought low by laying heavy Taxes upon them to squeeze them of their Money and by making them labour very hard whereby they thought to weaken their Bodies For the Hebrew word Missim coming from Mas which signifies Tribute it may be reasonably thought that these Taskmasters as we call them exacted great Sums of Money of them as well as afflicted them with their burdens i. e. hard Labours of all sorts as the Eastern Writers expound it And they built for Pharaoh They did not labour for themselves but for the King who it is likely gave them no Wages but used them as meer Slaves Treasure Cities Fortified Cities wherein he had his Magazeens as we now speak of all sort of Ammunition and Stores of Corn and publick Provisions as well as Treasures of Money For so we translate this word Miskenoth 2 Chron. 16.4 XVII 12. Storehouses and XXXVI 28. Storehouses for Corn and Wine and Oyl There was great Labour no doubt imployed in building such Cities surrounded with Walls and Towers and deep Ditches c. Pithom This is thought by Bochart to be the City which Herodotus calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. 2. c. 158. but Herodotus there saith it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a City of Arabia And therefore Sir J. Marsham's Conjecture seems more reasonable who takes it for Pelusium which was the most ancient fortified
meaning is Thou shalt do thus before them if they doubt whether I have appeared to thee as he feared they would v. 1. to convince them of it Ver. 6. And the LORD said furthermore unto him Put now thy hand into thy bosom c. He did not ask for a new sign but the LORD was graciously pleased to grant him a further Confirmation of his Faith or rather of the Faith of the Israelites And he put his hand into his bosom and when he took it out behold it was leprous as Snow It was a wonderful thing that out of the same place should come both the Disease and the Cure as we read in the next Verse that by putting his hand into his bosom again it became sound and it was the greater wonder because the Leprosie was a Disease that was very hard to be cured R. Elieser in the place fore-named doth not give so good a reason for this sign as for the former though it is not a bad one For he making a Question Why God should give them a sign by an unclean thing and not by a clean makes this Answer to it Because as a Leper is unclean and makes others so in like manner Pharaoh and the impure Egyptians had defiled the Israelites but God showed by Moses's drawing his hand out of his bosom again pure and clean that he would deliver and purge the Israelites from the silthiness of the Egyptians I should think rather that the Leprosie represented God's smiting the Egytians with his Plagues and the Cure of it God's removal of those Plagues at Moses his Prayer But there is no end of such Conceits Therefore I shall ra-rather observe that God commanding him to work all these wonders before Pharaoh ver 21. it is very probable this gave occasion to the fabulous Story which was invented in future Ages that Moses was a Leper and the Israelites infected with that and other scabby Diseases For so Josephus tells us L. I. contra Apion the Tale was told in Manetho's History and thence descended unto others that Moses was driven out of the Country 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See Justin L. XXXV c. 2. Tacitus L. V. Histor c. 3. because he had the Leprosie Which as Manetho perhaps did not maliciously devise out of his own head so those Historians from whom he borrowed his Work might have but an imperfect Tradition of the Truth derived from this Passage of Moses appearing with a leprous Hand before Pharaoh which was presently noised about the Country without the other part of his being immediately cured And thus Helladius Besantinus an Egyptian Writer in his Chresto-Mathia mentions one who said Moses was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because his Body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was markt with white leprous spots And unto this lye he calls Philo to be a Witness The very same is affirm'd by Philemaeus Hephaestionis as J. Meursius observes in his Notes upon the fore-named Author Ver. 7. And he plucked it out of his bosom and behold it was turned again as his other flesh A manifest token as Con. Pellicanus rightly takes it that God could with as much ease restore his oppressed People to perfect liberty Ver. 8. And it shall come to pass if they will not believe thee nor hearken to the voice of the first sign Here he gives the reason why he was pleased to add another sign to the former that he might overcome the incredulity which he foresaw would be in many of them That they will believe the voice of the latter sign Yield their consent to that which is plainly taught them by both these signs viz. that God had appeared to him and ordered him to say what he did And he saith they would believe because it was rational to suppose they would though he likewise supposes in the next Verse some might still remain incredulous and therefore he adds another Ver. 9. Thou shalt take of the Water of the River and pour it upon the dry Land and the Water shall become Blood This sign was not wrought now when God talked with him as the two former were for he was in the Desert far from the River here spoken of and near no River at all Therefore in case the Israelites did not believe upon the sight of the two former signs this is ordered to be wrought when he came into Egypt for their Conviction by taking the Water of Nilus and turning it into Blood Which might be well looked upon as an Indication that God was able to spoil that Water which was the great Instrument of the fertility of that Country and make their Land barren And also put them in mind that the cry of the innocent Blood of their Infants which had been drown'd in that River was come up to God There was a necessity that Moses should be instructed with all these Powers because with an unusual Commission which would not have been credited if he had not brought such extraordinary proof of it All the Prophets after him did not work Miracles which were necessary only when some great Change was to be made in the World as there was now at their bringing out of Egypt After which they were to be put into a new form and order by a body of peculiar Laws both Civil and Religious which when they were notoriously violated God was pleased by such wonders as Moses wrought to turn their hearts back again as he did in the days of Elijah 1 Kings XVIII 37. Ver. 10. And Moses said unto the LORD O my Lord. This is a Form of Speech whereby he declines this great Imployment and desires to be excused The Reason of which follows I am not Eloquent In the Hebrew Am not a man of words i. e. not a good Speaker or not accustomed to make Speeches or as some take it a Man of few words and therefore unfit to be sent to the Israelites and much more to the King of Egypt to whom none but great Orators make Addresses Clemens in his Epistle to the Corinthians makes this an Argument of Moses his Humility and saith he added these words from I know not what Authour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am a reek from a Pot. Neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy Servant This hath been always my Imperfection that I could not speak fluently nor do I find that I am altered since thou hast been pleased to appear to me and give me this Commission But I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue Cannot bring forth my words readily nor pronounce them well The Jews think he had some impediment in his Speech so that he could not pronounce some Letters or Words exactly at least not without such difficulty that it was long before he could bring them forth But the LXX understand these words slow of speech as if he had but a weak small or slender voice speaking voce gracili exili as it may be translated in Latin which
in the Autumn ut uno tenore siccescant that they might dry by an equal heat they that were made at the Solstice being suddenly crusted over by the Sun and left too moist within L. II. de Architect c. 3. Ver. 8. And the tale of the Bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them c. It appears from v. 13 14. that there was a certain quantity exacted from them every day For they be idle and therefore they cry saying Let us go and Sacrifice to our God They have not work enough to employ their Thoughts which makes their Mind wander after other things Ver. 9. Let there more work be laid upon the Men. Or make it heavy upon them as it is in the Margin That they may labour therein Have no time to think of any thing else And let them not regard vain words So he calls the Message of Moses and Aaron who he pretends were meer Deceivers and fed their Hope with Lyes for so it is in the Hebrew words of falshood or lying words or at least he resolved their words should not prove true for he would not let the People go Ver. 10. Thus saith Pharaoh I will not give you Straw The Task-masters with their Officers proclaimed the King's Order that every Body might take notice of it Ver. 11. Go get you Straw where you can find it c. A heavy Sentence importing that whether they could find any or no no abatement would be made of the number of Bricks that was expected from them This was to drive them to Desperation by demanding things impossible And added as Conradus Pellicanus observes to the Burdens on their Bodies very sore Anguish of Mind For it tempted them to doubt of the Goodness of their God who they thought had sent a deliverer to them IV. 31. by whom they were now reduced into a more miserable Condition Ver. 12. So the People were scattered abroad throughout all the Land of Egypt c. Some part of them were forced to go and pick up Straw or for want of it Stuble and sometime travel a great way for it while the rest were working in the Brick-kilns without their help which they were wont to have whereby they were disabled from making so many Bricks as formerly they had done Ver. 13. And the Task-master hasted them c. Quickned them in their work when they saw they were likely to fall short of their wonted Task Ver. 14. And the Officers of the Children of Israel c. By this it appears as I said v. 6. that these Officers were Israelites And from this place Bonavent Bertram concludes Lib. de Rep. Hebr. Cap. IV. that there was a Civil Government among the Israelites all the time they were in Egypt and that these Schoterim as they are called in Hebrew were Men of the greatest Note among the Elders who executed all their Decrees and consequently of high Authority among the People For which reason Pharaoh's Task-masters chose them to Oversee and Direct the Labours of their Brethren But Mr. Selden L. I. de Synedr Cap. XV. hath made it appear that there was no such Judicature among them at this time and when there was this was the Name of those who executed the Sentence of the Judges being like to our Apparitors and such like under Officers See p. 621 c. Were beaten With Sticks or scourged with Rods. Wherefore have yet not fulfilled your Task both yesterday c. They punished the Officers as if they had been negligent in not pressing the People to their Duty Yet it seems they forbore them one day to see if they would mend their Fault the next V. 15. Then the Officers of the Children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh saying c. They had some hope this Oppression might proceed from the Task-masters and not from the King himself and therefore they represented their Case to him and petitioned for Relief It is said indeed v. 6. that Pharaoh laid this Command both upon the Task-masters and their Officers but it is not unlikely that he gave it immediately only to the Task-masters who were his own Ministers and by them to the Officers Ver. 16. Thy Servants are beaten but the fault is in thine own People This shows that they thought such Inhumane Usage was the effect of the Task-masters Cruelty Ver. 17. But he said ye are idle ye are idle c. He soon made them understand it was by his Decree and not his Servants pleasure that they were thus used And which was worse they saw he was sixed in his Resolution being void of all pity and mocking at their Complaints For nothing could be more Sarcastical than to tell them they were idle when they sunk under their Burdens Ver. 18. Go therefore now and work c. Do not spend your time in making Complaints to me but return immediately to your Labours and continue at them till my Commands be executed and expect no mitigation Ver. 19. And the Officers did see that they were in evil Case c. By this Answer they found themselves reduced to such Straits that now they despaired of all Relief the King himself being set against them Ver. 20. And they met Moses and Aaron who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh They had placed themselves there on purpose to hear what Success the Officers had in their Petition Ver. 21. And they said the LORD look upon you and judge This seems to be an Imprecation or at least the Officers bid Moses and Aaron expect that God would take them to task as we speak for bringing his People into so bad a Case Ye have made our Savour to be abhorred in the Eyes c. Made us odious as this Phrase signifies XXXIV Gen. 30. To put a Sword into their hand to slay us Who may take an occasion from hence and make this a pretence for the destroying our whole Nation Ver. 22. And Moses returned unto the LORD this plainly intimates that the LORD had appeared to Moses since he came to Egypt as he did at Mount Horeb and that he appeared in some setled place where he might upon all Occasions resort to him And said LORD wherefore hast thou so evil intreated this People c. It was to no purpose to answer the Officers who expostulated with him for they were too much exasperated and thereby prejudiced against any thing he could say And therefore he chose rather to represent to God the Complaints they had made to him that he might be directed what Satisfaction to give them For he was not able of himself to give an account why the LORD should suffer their Condition to grow worse rather than better since he delivered his Message to Pharaoh No nor why he should send him on an Embassy which was not at all regarded Ver. 23. For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy Name he hath done Evil to this People neither hast thou
I. Stromat p. 345. D. But no body I think hath expressed this in better words and more full of sense than our famous Dr. Jackson Book X. upon the Creed Chap. 40. where considering God as become the King of this People in a proper and peculiar manner and considering also what unsufferable wrongs the King and People of Egypt had done unto this People of God who were now become his peculiar Subjects or Proprietary Leiges he concludes that this Fact even by the Course of Human Law or Law of Nations was more justifiable than Royal Grants of Letters of Mart or other like Remedies are against such other Nations as have wrong'd their Subjects or suffered them to be wrong'd by any under their Command without Restitution when they solemnly or by way of Embassy demanded it In short whatsoever the Hebrew Women took from the Egyptians they took and possessed by the Law of Reprisal that is by virtue of a Special Warrant granted by the LORD himself as he was now become in Special not only the God of his People but their King Ver. 36. And the Children of Israel journeyed from Rameses Whether this were a City or a Country the Israelites seem in this place to have made a general Rendevouz as we now speak it being well known to them for they were thereabout first planted XLVII Gen. 11. Vnto Succoth This day being the fifteenth of Nisan they began to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread at this place called Succoth from the Booths or Tents which were here first erected no Houses being there wherein they continued while they lived in the Wilderness and many preferred them before Houses when they came to Canaan Whence we read so often such Expressions as these To thy Tents O Israel or They went every Man to his Tent. It is an idle fancy of R. Solomon upon this place that they travelled this day an CXX miles and that in an hour because it is said XIX 4. that God carried them on Eagles wings Some will have this place called Succoth because the Cloud of Glory began here first to overspread them About six hundred thousand on foot that were Men. i. e. Were Twenty years old and upward all fit for War Besides Children If we reckon all under Twenty years of Age with all the Women and old Men there could not be less than fifteen hundred thousand persons A vast increase in the space of a little more than two hundred years from LXX Persons that went down into Egypt Ver. 38. And a mixed multitude went up also with them Some think these were only a Rabble that marcht along with them imagining they would return at three days end Which when they saw they did not they began to mutiny and quarrelled with Moses c. as the Author of Dibre Hajamim tells the Story Others think that many Israelites had made Marriages with the Egyptians as some it is plain did XXIV Lev. 10. who now accompanied them at their Departure being loth to leave their Relations But it is most probable they were Proselytes of the Gate as the Jews call them who had renounced Idolatry but were not entred into the Covenant by being Circumcised See Selden L. I. de Synedriis c. 3. It is uncertain what number there was of these but it appears they were a multitude And Flocks and Herds and very much Cattle Some of which perhaps belonged to the mixed Multitude for they among the Egyptians that feared the LORD's word preserved their Cattle from the stroke of the Hail which destroyed all that was in the Field IX 20. Ver. 39. And they baked When they came to Succoth Vnleavened Cakes c. The Scripture often mentions such Bread XVIII Gen. 6. XI Numb 8. 1 Kings XVII 12. for it was not leavened They could not stay till it was leavened being thrust out in haste as they were preparing it v. 33. which doth not signifie that they put Leaven to it when they came to Succoth as Grotius understands it for that was inconsistent with the Feast of Vnleavened Bread which they were commanded to keep v. 15. and which it is reasonable to suppose they now observed as well as killed and eat the Paschal Lamb v. 6 28. Neither had they prepared themselves any victuals This justifies what I observed upon v. 15. that they lived a whole Month upon unleavened Bread till God sent them Manna to eat Ver. 40. Now the sojourning So the Hebrew word Moshab most certainly signifies not meerly dwelling as the Vulgar Latine renders it but dwelling like Strangers who are not in their own Country Thus Abraham is said to sojourn XX Gen. 1. and Isaac and Jacob XXVIII 4. And therefore whereas the Roman Copy of the LXX reads here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the habitation the Alezandrian Copy hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the perigrination or sojourning as we well translate it Of the Children of Israel These words comprehend their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob as is evident from hence that otherwise Israel himself should not be included in this sojourning who was the Person that brought them into Egypt and lived there with his Family seventeen years Nor is any thing more ordinary in Scripture than under the Name of the Father to comprehend all his Posterity and likewise when the Posterity is only mentioned to intend also their Fathers there being such a near Union between Parents and Children that they are considered as one Person XXVI Deut. 5 9. X Judg. 11 12. XII Hosea 4. and many other places And therefore the Samaritan Copy here rightly reads The Habitation of the Children of Israel and of their Fathers c. Which is not to be taken for a Translation of these words but an Interpretation And so some Copies of the LXX had it as St. Austin observes anciently and Drusius lately mentions an Edition wherein it was thus paraphrased 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they and their Fathers Who dwelt in Egypt Here also the Samaritan Copy hath it as an Explication no doubt not a literal Translation who dwelt in the Land of Canaan and in Egypt And so the Vatican Edition of the LXX The Habitation of the Children of Israel which dwelt in the Land of Egypt and in Canaan Which is no late Addition but was in ancient Copies for Aben Ezra testifies in his Commentary on this place that they thus explained it Which dwelt in Egypt and in other Countries as Drusius observes in his Quaesita per Epistolam 51. Was four hundred years That is from the time of Abraham's coming from Charran into the Land of Canaan when this sojourning began till their going out of Egypt was just four hundred and thirty years For from Abraham's coming to sojourn in Canaan to the birth of Isaac was twenty five years and Isaac was sixty years old when he begat Jacob who was an hundred and thirty years old when he went down into Egypt which Numbers put together make two hundred and fifteen
Here he gives the reason for this Order that Pharaoh might be enticed to pursue them imagining they were in such Difficulties that they could not avoid falling into his hands They are entangled in the Land Perplexed or dubious not knowing which way to go The Wilderness hath shut them in They were cooped up he thought by the Sea and by craggy Mountains which it was impossible for them to pass especially being incumbred with a multitude of Women Children and Cattle Ver. 4. And I will harden Pharaoh 's heart He had hardned it before IX 12. X. 1. But now ordered things so that he was more sensless than ever he had been For having lately felt such an heavy stroke upon all the First-born as mollified his heart for the present and moved him to let Israel go it was the highest degree of Infatuation not to fear as formerly they had done XII 33. that the next blow if he pursued them would be at himself and his followers And I will be honoured upon Pharaoh and upon all his Host. Show my Power and Justice in their Destruction Which would not have been so visible had they died of the Pestilence when the Cattle died of the Murrain and Pharaoh's heart was first hardned as it was by hardning him so far as to follow the Israelites into the Red-sea where he and his whole Host was overthrown which made the terrour of the LORD's Wrath manifest to all the World That the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD Have the greatest demonstration of my irresistible Power VII 5. For the more strange the Infatuation was which led Pharaoh and his Host to such an ignominious Death the more apt the hearts of the People that remain'd would be to acknowledge the Hand of God therein And they did so They marched to this place on the XVIIth day of Nisan which was their third days Journey Jacobus Capellus thinks they rested this day being the Sabbath and came not hither till the XVIIIth Ver. 5. And it was told the King of Egypt that the People fled Some of the mixt Multitude that went along with them XII 38. seeing this strange turn it is likely forsook the Israelites and returned to Pharaoh to inform him that they had lost their way and were shifting for themselves by slight into dangerous places Or as it is commonly interpreted some Spies which Pharaoh had upon them seeing them leave the way to Horeb whither they desired to go three days Journey to offer Sacrifice concluded they never intended to return to Egypt but would run quite away from them This news we may suppose was brought to Pharaoh on the XVIIIth day And the heart of Pharaoh and of his Servants was turned against the People They had quite forgot their late Fears XII 33. which made such a change in them they would not suffer the Israelites to stay any longer in their Country but those Fears being vanished their Minds altered again and they repented they had dismissed them And said what have we done that we have let Israel go from serving us What a gross Errour have we committed in losing the Labour of so many Slaves Covetousness as I have observed often had a principal hand in hardning Pharaoh's heart Ver. 6. And he made ready his Chariot Caused it immediately to be made ready which we may suppose was done on the XIXth day when he began to pursue them And took his People with him All that were wont to attend him on such accasions 7. And he took six hundred chosen Chariots The best Chariots in Egypt which were always ready prepared for such Expeditions And all the Chariots of Egypt That could be got ready on a sudden for he had not time to muster all his force but made all the haste possible lest the Israelites should get out of the straits wherein they were and go so far away that he could not overtake them For which reason he pursued them with Chariots and Horsmen who could make larger marches than the Israelites on foot The strength also of this Kingdom consisted in Chariots which carried Men in them who sought out of them And every one knows that Egypt abounded with Horses as well as Chariots and that they were accounted very strong in these XXXI Isa 1. yet Bochartus thinks all besides the six hundred Chariots Royal were only Carriages for their Baggage Hierozoic P. I. L. II. c. 9. And Captains over every one of them This shows there were Men in them and that to every Chariot there Belonged a Troop of Horsmen we know not of what number who were commanded by a Captain The Hebrews say there were Fifty thousand Horsmen the Arabians make them as many more Ver. 8. And the LORD hardned the heart of Pharaoh King of Egypt As he said he would v. 4. And he pursued after the Children of Israel Of all the infatuated Resolutions to use the words of a famous Divine of our own Dr. Jackson Book X. chap. 11. that either King or People adventured on the pursuing of the Israelites with such a mighty Army after they had most earnestly intreated and urged them to leave their Country may well seem to every indifferent Reader the most stupid And so the Author of the Book of Wisdom justly censures it XIX 3. For whilst they were yet mourning and making Lamentations at the Graves of the Dead they added another foolish device and pursued them as Fugitives whom they had intreated to be gone Yet Josephus gives good hints that even this effect of Divine Infatuation was but such as hath seized upon worldly wise Princes and States-men in former Ages and may hereafter be inflicted upon more And the Children of Israel went out with an high hand Boldly and with assured confidence not sneakingly like Slaves or Fugitives So Onkelos understood it when he translated it bare-headed i. e. confidently fearing nothing having been delivered and conducted by the powerful hand of God as it is often repeated XIII 9 14 16. unto which some refer this Phrase and not to the Israelites See Drusius L. XVI Observat c. 2. Ver. 9. But the Egyptians pursued after them This did not discourage Pharaoh and his Servants who perhaps were of the same mind with the Syrians who fancied the God of Israel might not be alike powerful in all places but though he was stronger than their Gods in the Hills yet they might be too hard for him in the Plain 1 Kings XX. 23. So the Egyptians who had seen how much superiour Moses was to their Magicians might possibly thus reason with themselves as the same Learned Dr. expresses it Who knows whether all this Power was given unto Moses to be exercised only within the Meridian or Climes of Egypt or whether his Commission extend over Palestine and Midian They presumed at least that the LORD God of the Hebrews had not granted Moses such a Command over the Armies or Host of Men though he had done Wonders among
it As in 1 Sam. XVII 34. we meet with this very Expression concerning Goliath a man of war from his youth i. e. a great Warriour And in the foregoing Chapter David is called both isch Milchamah a Man of War and isch Toar a Man of Form or Beauty i. e. a beautiful or comely Person as we translate it 1 Sam. XVI 18. And in this very Book isch de varim a Man of Words is an Eloquent Man The LORD is his Name He seems to allude unto that which God said to Moses when he first appeared to him III. 14 15 16. VI. 3 4 6. Ver. 4. Pharaoh's Chariots The Hebrew word Mercavah comprehends the Horses by which they were drawn which were commonly four to each Chariot as Maimonides probably gathers from 1 Kings X. 29. Where a Horse is said to come up out of Egypt at an hundred and fifty shekels and a Chariot at six hundred because it comprehended four Horses More Nevoch P. I. c. 70. Chosen Captains The Hebrew word Schalish imports something extraordinary either in their Stature or in their Command which they had perhaps over three Squadrons as we now speak But Hen. Valesius a very Learned Man thinks the LXX rightly translated the word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he translates three fighting out of a Chariot For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are both words belonging to Military Discipline which they call Tacticks and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he takes to be of the same kind and rightly rendred by Rusinus ternos statores in Euseb Histor Eccles L. IX c. 9. p. 358. Ver. 5. Sank to the bottom as a stone The Waters which stood up like a Wall falling down with great violence upon them they sank under their weight to the bottom of the Sea from whence after some time they rose up again and were thrown upon the shore XIV 30. though not all of them but some seem to have been buried in the bottom of the Sea See v. 12. Ver. 6. Right hand Is frequently used for the height of Power exerted in the Preservation of good Men or the Destruction of the bad XX Psalm 6. XXI 8. Ver. 7. In the greatness of thy excellency c. All words being too low to declare the greatness of God's Power which appeared in the overthrow of the Egyptians he indeavours to rise higher and higher in his Expressions to show how much he admired it Thou sentest forth thy wrath He seems to allude unto God's looking upon them through the Pillar of Fire and of the Cloud XIV 24. and to the Thunder and Lightning which are supposed to have come from thence Ver. 8. And with the blast of thy nostrils This may relate to the strong Wind which drove the Sea back XIV 21. The waters were gathered together This word Aram or Haram signifies to heap up together From whence the Arabians call those great Banks which are raised to keep in Waters from over-flowing a Country by the name of Arem or Harem as Bochartus hath observed in his Phaleg L. II. c. 26. And so the word may be here translated the waters were heaped up as banks on each side of the Israelites Ver. 9. I will divide the spoil It belonged to Kings and chief Commanders to divide the Spoil as Moses David and Joshua did among the Soldiers My hand shall destroy them Or repossess them as it is in the Margin bring them back to their Slavery in Egypt Ver. 10. They sank like lead It signifies the suddenness of their destruction for a Talent of Lead sinks in a moment Ver. 11. Who is like unto thee among the Gods Or the mighty ones as it is in the Margin For Elim is the Plural of El which comes from Ejalah saith the Author of Sepher Cosri which denotes fortitude or strength For from him proceeds all Power and Might but is himself more Sublime and Eminent than to be likened to any other Power according to these words which he quotes for the proof of it Pars IV. Sect. 3. Fearful in Praises I see no solidity in the Gloss of R. Elieser that Moses speaks in the Plural Number because the Angels praised God above when the Israelites praised him below Pirke Elies c. 42. The plain meaning is that he ought to be praised with the greatest Reverence for to him alone as Conradus Pellicanus glosses belongs all Honour and Glory who can never enough be praised Ver. 12. The Earth swallowed them They who were drowned in the Sea are here said to be swallowed up in the Earth just as Jonah saith when he was in the Sea that he went down to the bottom of the Mountains and the Earth with her bars was about him for ever II. 6. because the Sea which swallowed both him and the Egyptians is in the Depths of the Earth R. Elieser thinks that they being thrown upon the Sea-shore XIV 30. the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up Which is possible but there is no necessity of so understanding it Rather after the Israelites had spoiled them the Sea which had cast them on shore afterwards as is usual carried them off again and buried them in the Sand or Mud. Ver. 13. Thy holy habitation The Country where God himself intended to have a dwelling place v. 17. Ver. 14. The Inhabitants of Palestina The Philistins seem to have been the most valiant People in that Country to which the Israelites were to go and therefore here mentioned Ver. 15. The Dukes of Edom. Concerning the word Alluphe see XXXVI Gen. 18. By this it appears that Idumaea was at this time under the Government of Dukes though before Moses his Death they had Kings XX Numb 14. For they often changed their Government as I observed upon XXXVI Gen. where Moses gives an account both of their Dukes and of their Kings Ver. 16. Shall be as still as a stone The LXX translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned into stones i. e. so struck with the terrour of the LORD that they remained unmoveable as stones having no heart to oppose the passage of the Israelites into Canaan Ver. 17. The Mountain of thine Inheritance Moses seems to have foreseen by the Spirit of Prophecy that God would place his Habitation upon Mount Sion Which he understood perhaps from the Sacrifice of Isaac upon Mount Moriah XXII Gen. Ver. 18. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever It may signifie that when they came thither they would always acknowledge him for their Sovereign who had done such mighty things for them Ver. 19. The Horse of Pharaoh went in with his Chariots c. In this which the Greeks call the Epiphonema of the Song Moses briefly comprehends the whole matter of it and makes it end as it began Ver. 20. And Miriam Or as the LXX the Syriac and others read it Mariam which some think comes from Marah which signifies bitterness as the Arabick word Marara doth and
dressed up the High Priest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the liberty and freedom also wherein they were instated I doubt not is signified by these words Kings and Priests as Onkelos translates them and as it is expressed in the New Testament I Revel 6. V. 10. and the Syriac also Kingdom and Priesthood for Kings and Priests were of all other Men freed from Oppression And thus I sind our Mr. Thorndike a most Learned man glosses upon thess words Review of the Rights of the Church p. 132. God calls them Kings because redeemed from the Servitude of Strangers to be a People Lords of themselves and Priests because redeemed to spend their time in Sacrificing and feasting upon their Sacrifices under which Figure he afterwards represents the happy estate of his Church LXI Isa 6. though they Sacrificed not in Person but by their Priests appointed in their stead by imposition of the Elders hands VIII Numb 10. An holy Nation A People separated to God from all other Nations and from their Idolatry to serve God in an acceptable manner These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the Children of Israel The sum of what he was to say to them comprehending both their Duty and their high Priviledge Ver. 7. And Moses came Down from the Mount where he had been with God v. 3. And called for the Elders of the People The principal Persons in the several Tribes See III. 16. which he seems to have done in the Evening of the second day of the Month. And laid before their faces all these words c. Plainly declared to them what God had given him in charge which they went and propounded to the People of the several Tribes whom they represented Ver. 8. And all the People answered together and said All with one consent declared as here follows All that the LORD hath spoken we will do They consented to have the LORD for their King and promised to be obedient to his Will And Moses returned the words of the People unto the LORD This seems to have been done the next day which was the third day of the third Month. Upon which Report made to God of the Peoples Consent he proceeds after a few days preparation to declare the Laws by which they should be governed Chap. XX XXI XXII XXIII and then in the XXIVth Chapter these Laws pass into a Covenant between God and them Here Moses plainly acted as a Mediator between God and the People Ver. 9. And the LORD said unto Moses lo I will come unto thee Appear upon the Mount In a thick Cloud In a darker Cloud than that which had hitherto gone before them to conduct them so that they should see nothing but Flashes of Lightning which came out of it in a very frightful manner v. 16 18. For that there was sire in it appears from IV Dent. 11. V. 22 23. though at first perhaps only a thick Cloud appeared as a token of his approach That the People may hear when I speak with thee Though they saw no Similitude yet they plainly heard a voice speaking unto Moses and declaring their Duty Maimonides indeed thinks that the words were directed only unto Moses and that the Israelites heard meerly the sound of the words but did not distinctly understand them More Nevoch P. II. c. 33. Which is directly against what Moses says IV Deut. 12. The LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the sire c. and V. 4 5. The LORD talked with you face to face in the Mount c. saying I am the LORD thy God c. which words are plainly directed to all the People And believe thee for ever They had been staggered in their Belief after they had professed it at the Red Sea XV. ult but after this it might be expected they would never question his Authority any more And Moses told the words of the People unto the LORD Or rather for Moses had told c. Upon which account God was pleased to make the foregoing Declaration Till they had owned him for the LORD their God i.e. their King and Governour he did not speak unto them at all but only unto Moses But now that they had consented to be his he resolves to speak audibly to them and henceforth to dwell among them and in order to it six his Tabernacle with them For which he gives order Chap. XXV c. immediately after they had entred into Covenant to do as they had promised Or these words which seem to be a needless repetition may relate to that which follows and be translated thus Moses having told the words of the People unto the LORD the LORD said unto Moses Go unto the People and sanctifie them c. Ver. 10. Go unto the People and sanctifie them to day and to morrow This shows that Moses was sent down early on the fourth day to prepare them for the Appearance of the Divine Majesty among them by sanctifying them that is separating them from all Uncleanness or rather from all common and ordinary Imployments that they might give themselves to Fasting and Prayer and Abstinence from otherwise lawful Pleasures For Pirke Elieser takes Abstinence from their Wives mentioned v. 15. as a part of this Sanctification cap. 41. And so doth Gregory Nyssen in his Book de Vita Mosis p. 178. And Maimonides observes that Separation from Wine and strong Drink is called Holiness in the Law of the Nazarites VI Numb 5. and therefore may be thought part of the Sanctification here required More Nevoch P. I. c. 33. And let them wash their Clothes The Hebrews understand it of washing their whole Bodies For thus Aaron and his Sons were to be consecrated to their Office XXIX 4. XL. 12. and therefore thus the People were now to be made a holy People unto the LORD and made sit for the Presence of the Divine Majesty Under whose Wings as they speak none were received in future times i.e. made Proselytes but by Baptism or washing of their whole Body which was taken from this pattern And accordingly where we read in the Law of particular Purifications by washing their Clothes in case of any Uncleanness as XI Lev. 25 28 40. XIV 8 47. where Moses speaks of cleansing a Leprous Person XXXI Numb 24. where he speaks of cleansing Soldiers and many other Cases they understand it in the very same manner In some cases indeed it is expresly prescribed XV Lev. 5 6 7. XVI 26 c. and they expound all other where Clothes only are mentioned by the same Rule as Mr. Selden shows I. I. de Synedr c. 3. where he observes that in the Pagan Language pure Garments signifie the washing of the whole Body See p. 29. Ver. 11. And be ready against the third day He doth not mean the third day of the Month but the third day after this command to Sanctifie themselves In which they were bound to spend two intire days and then the LORD promised to
people go up with him But stay at the bottom of the Mount as they did before the giving the X. Commandments XIX 17. below the place where the Elders were So I think Maimonides rightly understands this place in his More Nevoch P. II. c. 32. where speaking of the several degrees of Prophecy or Familiarity with God he observes that Moses was here placed in the Supreme degree he alone being allowed to come near the LORD below him was Aaron placed and below him Nadab and Abihu and below them the LXX Elders and beneath them the rest of the People Which is the meaning of that saying of their Wise men Moses is a wall by himself and Aaron a wall by himself that is they were in separate Apartments at this glorious Appearance of God Ver. 3. And Moses came From the Mount where he had received the Precepts mentioned in the three foregoing Chapters And told the People all the words of the LORD and all the Judgments Some understand here by the words of the LORD the Ten Commandments called the Ten Words XXXVIII 18. But these words the People heard spoken by God himself and not by the report of Moses Therefore I take these words to signisie rather what he had spoken in the latter part of the foregoing Chapter from the 20th Verse to the end And then by all the Judgments he means those Laws which he had received for their good Government in the XXI XXII Chapters and the former part of the XXIII And all the people answered with one voice and said In all likelyhood Moses had told the Elders what God had said to him and they went and told it to the People who gave the following Answer to them For thus it was before XIX 6 7. All the words that the LORD hath said will we do They had consented before in general to do whatsoever God required of them having him for their King and Governour XIX 6 7 8. but now they consent in particular after God had declared what he would have them do in the XX Chapter and Moses had also reported the rest of the Judgments delivered in the XXI XXII XXIII Chapters Ver. 4. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD Both the Ten Commandments and all the rest of the Judgments delivered in the foregoing Chapters God indeed wrote the Ten Commandments himself but for the present Moses made a Record of them that the People might not only hear but read what they had to do And rose up early in the morning The next morning it is likely after he had received those Judgments and delivered them to the People and wrote them in a Book which was upon the seventh day of Sivan as I observed XX. 21. That is on the sixth of our June as Jac. Capellus reckons Therefore on the eighth of Sivan he built the Altar c. as it here follows And builded an Altar under the hill At the foot of the Hill where the People were allowed to stand This Altar was to represent God to whom Sacrifices were offered upon it And twelve Pillars according to the twelve Tribes of Israel This was to represent all the People The Gentiles abusing such Pillars to Idolatrous uses the erecting of them is afterward forbidden in the Law But before the building of the Tabernacle Moses here erects them as Jacob had piously done in former times XXXV Gen. 14. See Selden L. II. de Jure N. G. c. 6. p. 185. Ver. 5. And he sent young men of the Children of Israel These are said by the Hebrews to be the First-born as Onkelos here expresly translates it He sent the First-born and the Paraphrase ascribed to Vzielides follows him adding this reason Because the Aaronical Priests were not yet consecrated The Arabick and Persian Versions say the same as Mr. Selden hath observed L. I. de Succession ad Pontif. c. 1. and most Interpreters have been of the same mind But I have often observed before particularly XIX 22. that I can see no proof of this that they only officiated as Priests every Man anciently in his own Family having a right to offer Sacrifice till the Law of Moses restrained it to the Family of Aaron Therefore I take these young men to have been the choicest Persons among them whether First-born or others who had been appointed to Minister unto God For Joshua who is called here v. 13. Moses his Minister is in XI Numb 28. called his young man Such were fittest for all Service especially for that of Sacrificing to God For which they anciently chose the strongest and properest Persons as we see in the Greek story of Jason which our Learned Dr. Spencer observes p. 140. whose Sacrifices were led to the Altar by the young men of his Company i. e. Men of greatest strength and beauty L. I. Argonaut And this so far remained after the Priesthood was consined to the Family of Aaron that no Man was permitted to officiate at the Altar after he was Fifty years of Age that is when he was past his best as we speak the flower and strength of his Age VIII Numb 25. Fortunatus Scacchus conjectures that there were XII of these young Men one of each Tribe who offered in the Name of their Brethren Myrothec Sacr. Elaeochrism p. 2. c. 59. Which offered Burnt-offerings and sacrificed Peace-offerings of Oxen unto the LORD Though Oxen are only mentioned yet there were other Creatures Sacrificed as appears from IX Hebr. 19 20. And in following times Peace-offerings might be either of Calves or Lambs or Goats as we sind in III Lev. and so might Burnt-offerings also see I Lev. 2 10. Our Learned Primate Vsher thinks also there were Expiatory Sacrifices offered together with these Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings and that in the first place ad A. M. 2513. mens 3. Ver. 6. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basons It may be a question whether he spake of the Blood of all the Sacrifices or only of the Expiatory if there were any or of the Burnt-offerings or Peace-offerings But which way soever that be determined this half of the Blood it is certain was reserved to be sprinkled on the People v. 8. Concerning the word Agganot which we translate Basons the Learned Reader may consult Bochartus in his Hierozoic P. I. p. 549. And half of the Blood he sprinkled on the Altar The Altar representing God as was said before v. 4. this Blood sprinkled upon it signified that he for his part engaged to be faithful in the Covenant he now made with them and they with him by performing all the Promises he had newly made them by Moses in the latter end of the foregoing Chapter especially those four great Promises of Plenty Health numerous Off-spring and Long-life v. 25 26. together with the driving out the People of Canaan from before them v. 27 c. Ver. 7. And he took the Book Some have made it a difficulty to find what Book
Therefore Nachmanides more reasonably conceives that these Rings were indeed in the corners of the Ark but not in the higher as R. Solomon would have them but in the lower and therefore said here to be in the feet For the Scripture calling the top of every thing the head of it the bottom is commonly there called the feet And so the Ark by placing the Rings and Staves in the bottom was carried on high upon the Priests shoulders representing God who is highly exalted And two rings shall be on the one side of it and two rings on the other side of it That is in the length of it as Josephus expresly testifies and not in the breadth Ver. 13. And thou shalt make staves of Shittim-wood Of such a length that the Ark might be at a decent distance from those that carried it And overlay them with Gold With Plates of Gold as the Ark it self was v. 14. Ver. 14. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the Ark. The Hebrews say these staves were ten Cubits long That the Ark may be born with them Upon the shoulders of the Levites particularly the Sons of Korah See Numb IV. 4 5 6 c. VII 9. For it was a Crime to carry it any other way either in their Hands or drawn in a Cart. Compare 1 Chron. XIII 7. with XV. 15. Ver. 15. And the staves shall be in the rings of the Ark. Continue and remain in the Rings whence they were once put therein They shall not be taken from it When they set down the Ark they were not to take out the staves and put them in again when it was to be carried but let them as was said continue in the rings that there might be no danger of letting them fall which had been a great irreverence and because they would be best preserved and take less harm there than any where else and if they had occasion to remove the Ark suddenly all would be ready and the Levites were hereby kept from touching the Ark or coming nearer to it than the ends of the staves Ver. 16. And thou shalt put into the Ark the testimony which I will give thee The two Tables of Stone containing the Ten Commandments which are called the Testimony and the Two Tables of Testimony XXXI 18. because they testified what the Will of God was which they had consented to observe and were therefore publick authentick Instruments attesting the Covenant between God and them Whence the Ark which contained these is called the Ark of the Testimony as I observed above v. 10. v. 22. and in a great many other places of the XL Chapter And in one place it is called the Testimony XXX 36. and the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD X Deut. 8. because then Ten words were the principal part of the Covenant to which they stood obliged And perhaps the Book of the Covenant which Moses made with them XXIV 7. is comprehended under the name of the Testimony For though we read in 1 Kings VIII 9. there was nothing in the Ark save the two Tables of Stone c. yet the Apostle mentions some other things that were not in yet by or before the Ark IX Hebr. 4. But I assert nothing in this matter And shall only further observe that this direction for putting the Testimony or Tables of Stone into the Ark is given before any order is taken for making a Covering to it which follows after And therefore he was to put in the Law before the Cover was set on For though v. 21. this be mentioned again and put after the Cover is named yet the meaning is that he should set on the Cover having put in the Law And it is repeated that he should be very careful of this because the Cherubims were to protect and defend it Ver. 17. And thou shalt make a Mercy-seat The Hebrew word Capporet litterally signifies a Covering of any thing And that is the proper signification of this Mercy-seat as we translate it which was the Covering of the Ark. For it had no Door but was open at the top so that they might put the Tables of the Covenant into it and then it was to be fastned above by this Cover which any one may discern by its dimensions was exactly fit for it Others will have it called Capporet not from Capar to cover but from Cipper to expiate and render propitious And so indeed the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the propitiatory because God here showed himself to be propitious and appeased by the Blood of the Sacrifices which was sprinkled before this place But the reason of this Translation may be because when Sins are pardoned they are said in Scripture to be covered The LXX put both these together in their Translation which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of pure Gold Not of Wood crusted over with Gold but all as Abarbinel speaks of solid Gold because it was the Cover of the Ark in which were the Tables of the Covenant written with God's Finger than which nothing was more precious Two cubits and an half shall be the length thereof c. Which was the length of the Ark v. 10. as the breadth was a Cubit and a half both of that and this Which shows this was the Cover of the Ark being most exactly adapted to it Ver. 18. And thou shalt make two Cherubims of gold We read of Cherubims in the beginning of the World and have good reason to believe thereby is meant Angels See III Gen. 24. But in what shape they appeared we are not told nor is there the least signification of it here in this place but what we can gather from v. 20. So that I can only say this they were of such a shape as the Angelical Ministers appeared in which attended upon the Divine Majesty in the Mount or rather such as god showed Moses a pattern of whereby to represent these heavenly Ministers For both the Ark and all belonging to it were made according to the model God gave him not from any Egyptian pattern as some imagine Bochart seems to me to speak judiciously when he saith they were not Figures of Angels but rather Emblems whereby the Angelical Nature was in some sort expressed Hierozoic P. I. L. 2. c. 25. And were therefore ordered to be made as Maimonides conjectures that the Jews might be confirmed in the belief of the Existence of Angels which is the second Article of their Faith next to the belief of God And he commanded two to be made because if there had been but one it might have led them into a dangerous Errour that this was the Figure of God whereby they might have been inclined to worship it But there being two of them ordered with this Declaration the LORD our God is one God it led them into right thoughts that God had many of these Angelical Ministers Thus he More Nevoch P. III. c. 45. Of beaten
side or open on both sides though it is commonly said so to be But it is possible that it was doubled meerly that it might be stronger to bear the weight of so many precious Stones and of the Rings and Chains not that it might have any thing put between it A span shall be the length thereof c. This is just the measure of a Man's breast Ver. 17. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones Or as it is in the Hebrew fill it with fillings of stones Which plainly signifies that these Stones were set as precious Stones are now in our Rings in a funda or hollow which was filled up with the Stone In the 20th Verse we translate it inclosings So Jarchi because the Stone filled up the hollowness of the Ouches to which they were fitted and therefore Moses uses the word sillings Abarbinel here observes that Moses saith fillings of Stone in the Singular Number not the Plural and so in the next words four rows of Stone not Stones as we translate it to signifie that all the Stones were so set in the Breast-plate as if they were but one Stone For all the Fundae in which they were set consisted of one mass of Gold wherein there were twelve Ouches in which every single Stone was set as we see it now in our present Lockets Even four rows of stones With a square of precious stone The first row shall be a Sardius c. There is so little certainty what these Stones were that nothing can be affirmed about them as appears by the vast variety of Interpretations that have been made of them by Writers both old and new The first of them is called Odem in the Hebrew which some take to be a Ruby but have no other reason for it but only because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies red Others take it for an Adamant which may seem to be derived from Odem as a Jaspri is from Jasphe And there are several other Conjectures but none so probable as that of our Translators who call it a Sardius or Sardine Stone as they render it IV Rev. 3. which is of a red flaming Colour as Braunius hath demonstrated from several Authors L. H. de Vest. Sacr. Hebr. c. 8. n. 8. but as some describe it with a cast of yellow in it like that of fresh Oyl And it is not improbable that this Stone had the Name of Sardius from the Hebrew word Sered which signifies red XLIV Isa 13. as Kimchi there interprets it And thence the Divine Majesty is said to look like a Sardine Stone in the place above-named because he appeared in great anger So an ancient Writer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Topaz The second Stone in this row is in Hebrew called Pitdah which we truly translate a Topaz which was a Stone of a green Colour not a yellow as we now commonly understand it So Pliny and others as the same Braunius shows L. II. c. 9. where he fancies that the word Topasion by an easie change of Letters was made out of Pitdah for the Syriack Interpreter XXI Rev. 20. calls this Stone Topadion in which there are the same Letters that are in Pitdah But however this be it appears from the XXVIII Job 19. that this is the right Translation of the word for there it is Pitdah Cush the most excellent Topaz Stones being found in an Island belonging to Arabia called thence by the Name of Topazion And a Carbuncle So we translate the third Stone of the first row which in Hebrew is called Bareketh following perhaps Aberbinel But the greatest part of Interpreters take it for the Smaragdus which good Authors describe as the most radiant of all other Stones and therefore called perhaps Bareketh from its extraordinary splendour For barak every Body knows fignifies to glitter XXI Ezek. 10. The best Authors say the Colour of it is a Grass-green wonderfully refreshing as Pliny describes it to the eyes when one looks upon it Ver. 18. And the second row shall be an Emeraud The Hebrew word Nophech which we translate Emeraud is by most Interpreters taken to signifie a Carbuncle Some of which Stones are white but the most excellent of all other are red shining like Fire or a burning Coal whence the Name of Carbuncle from Carbo a hot Coal And to this the Hebrew word Nophech agrees which Braunius ingeniously conjectures comes from Phuch which signifies that Red wherewith Women painted their Faces 2 Kings IX 30. And in short he takes it for that Stone which now we call a Ruby And so Abarbinel translates it and Luther also vid. L. II. c. 11. A Saphire This Stone is mentioned before XXIV 9. and it retains its Name to this day almost among all People So that there is no question but only what kind of Stone it was about which Authors differ For some say it was a white Stone and there are some so pale that they incline to that rather than any other Colour but it is plain that Stone was called anciently a Saphire which is now so called being of the Colour of the Heavens or the Veins that is a Sky-colour See XXIV 10. V Cantic 14. IV Lament 7. And a Diamond So we rightly translate the Hebrew word Jahalom which is thought to come from halam which signifies to break Whence Halmuth is an Hammer or a Mad V Judg. 26. For the Adamant or Diamond is the hardest of all Stones which breaks them all but is broken by none as Abarbinel speaks It was anciently accounted the most precious of all Gems as Pliny acknowledges L. XXXVII c. 4. Ver. 19. In the third row a Ligure So we translate the Hebrew word Leschem which being no where else found the meaning of it is uncertain But a great many both of the Ancient and Modern translate it as we do though what a Ligure is cannot easily be resolved Some think 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be nothing but the best Ambar But that is no precious Stone as all here mentioned are and therefore to mention no other Conjectures Braunius thinks we are to understand by this word a kind of Jacinth of which there being divers sorts he judges it likely to be that which nearest approaches to the colour of Ambar which hath made Authors take them for the same The Ancients indeed commonly by a Jacinth understand a Stone of a Violet colour but more pale and dilute than in the Amethyst and the Stone now called an Amethyst was anciently called a Jacinth Yet they mention Jacinths of divers other colours and some shining like Fire vide L. II. de Vestit Sacr. Hebr. c. 14. n. 11 12. An Agate So the Hebrew word Schebo which is no where else mentioned in Scripture is translated by the greatest part of Interpreters who take this for that Stone the Greeks call Achates Which is so well known that it needs no description being that beautiful Stone which Nature hath
Solomon was 1 Kings I. 39. though we may doubt of David when he was anointed King of Judah 2 Sam. II. 4. which was I suppose by a special direction of the Prophets that the People might look upon them as sacred Persons and special Ministers of God for their good The Jews also will have it that he whom they call the anointed of War that is say the Jews the Priest mentioned XX Deut. 2. but I should rather think the General who commanded their Forces in any sudden danger was anointed also with this Oyl that he might be inspired with Courage when he fought as a sacred Person So that they interpret the first words of the foreging Verse upon mans flesh shall it not be poured in this sense None shall be anointed with it but the High Priest the anointed of War and the Kings of the House of David For the Kings of Israel were not anointed with it but with simple Balsom as they also tell us Ver. 34. And the LORD said unto Moses take unto thee sweet Spices There are the same words here in the Hebrew that we had before v. 23. save only that there he saith Take to the Besammim with the addition of Rosch principal or most excellent and here take to the Samim which we translate sweet Spices How these two differ Interpreters of all sorts extreamly vary But they both seem to be general words which contain the following Species under them and Samim to signifie Spices of less value than Besamim The latter of which denotes such Spices as were either liquid or most proper to mix with Oyl and other liquid things to give them a fragrancy as Fort. Scacchus thinks who hath discussed these two words with great diligence in his Elaeochrism Myroth P. II. c. 7. Stacte The Hebrew word signifies something that drops which some have taken for Balsom but the LXX translate it as we do and Salmasius hath shown that it is the liquid part of Myrrhe not which slows of it self which drops from it when it is pressed out by Art See Plin. Exercit. p. 520. The same Fort. Scacchus c. 8. observes out of Dioscorides who calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the most unctuous part of fresh Myrrhe pressed out with a little Water c. 74. This was used in their Perfumes which the Heathen burnt upon their Altars as appears by that of Euripides in Troad where he mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onycha The Hebrew word Secheleth is translated by Jonathan Ceseth which the famous Bochartus proves by many Arguments to be ladanum which was one of the principal Aromaticks among the Arabians The Stream of Interpreters indeed carry it for Onycha but are not agreed what that is For some take it for the Hoof or Claw of an Animal as Maimonides others as Jarchi for the Root of a Plant which is smooth and transparent as the Nail of a Man's Hand which the Greeks call Onyx But there are others and more numerous who take it for the shell of a Fish in the Fens of India that are full of Spikenard upon which this Fish feeding it makes the very Shell odoriferous See Hierozoic P. II. Lib. V. cap. ult He observes also P. I. L. III. c. 1. that there was such a Shell-fish in Babylonia which was nearer to the Jews than the Indian The Greeks called it Onyx from the form of it and the Hebrews Secheleth from its colour which was black And Galbanum That which is sold in our Shops is of an offensive smell but there was another in Syria in the Mount Amanus which had an excellent Scent And therefore to distinguish it from ordinary Galbanum there is a word added to it as the Vulgar Latin takes it in which it is called Galbanum boni odoris For that Translation joyns the next word which we translate sweet Spices unto Galbanum as if he had said Aromatick Galbanum With pure Frankincense It was gathered twice in the year in the Spring and in the Autumn and Pliny tells us that gathered in the Autumn was the purest and whitest with which the other that was reddish was not to be compared L. XII c. 14. Every one knows that this was very much used by the Gentiles upon their Altars Of each shall there be a like weight This is the common Interpretation of the Hebrew words and I will not trouble the Reader with any other But we have no certain knowledge what weight this was for I see no Authority for what the Hebrew Doctors say that there was LXX pound of each of these four Spices And they add which makes all they say of this matter questionable that there were also several pounds of Cinamon and Cassia and Crocus in short of XIII several Spices which Josephus L. VI. Haloseos c. 6. assirms were in this Composition Of which Moses they say made in the whole CCCLXVIII pound that is one pound for every day in the year and three for the day of Expiation And accordingly R. Levi Barzelonita saith the Priests made every year as much as would suffice for every day of it and that the ordinary Priests might make it as well as the High Priest Praecept CI. Ver. 35. And thou shalt make it a perfume Some think the last words of the foregoing Verse signifie that each sort of Spices was to be pounded one by one and then they are all ordered here to be put together A Confection after the art of the Apothecary Made with great care and according to this Divine Prescription Thus Plutarch speaking of the Aromatick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the Egyptians which was burnt Morning and Evening on their Altars saith it was not put together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on any fashion or as it hapned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. but the Sacred Books were read to those who compounded it when it was mixed L. de Isid Osiride Tempered together Both the Chaldee and the LXX render this mingled just as Salt is with any thing upon which it is sprinkled Pure Without any other mixture And holy To be used only in the Divine Service For this was one of the most ancient ways of worshipping God the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Sacrifice as Porphyry saith L. II. being derived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first Men making a Fume by burning parts of Trees and Shrubs and Seeds and Fruits And the sweeter their scent was the more grateful they fancied the Fume was unto their Gods So that though at first they contented themselves with simple Herbs and Plants and Moses here prescribes only some few Spices fetcht from Foreign Countries yet in after-times they increased them to a greater number for that Aromatick Mixture I mentioned before among the Egyptians called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a Composition of sixteen things which Plutarch reckons up in the forenamed Book And Sophocles brings in Clytemnestra in his Electr. v. 637. calling for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Synedris c. 6. The sense is this in short He that violates a Negative Precept as they call it either doth it secretly which is most frequent or openly which happens seldom unless a Man be one of those profligate Wretches whom we call Apostates Now him that secretly brake the Sabbath the Scripture threatens with cutting off viz. by the hand of God according to what is written here in this place In like manner incestuous and unlawful Conjunctions are threatned XVIII Lev. 29. because they were wont to be committed secretly But if any Man did any Work openly on the Sabbath so that there were Witnesses of it he was to be stoned according to what is said XV Numb 35. Though if he did it out of mistake either secretly or openly he was only to bring a Sacrifice for his Errour And if he offended against any of the Decrees of the Wise-men about the Sabbath he was to be beaten Or if there was no Court of Judgment in the place as now in their present Condition then all such Transgressors were left to God to punish them of whatsoever sort they were Ver. 15. Six days may work be done but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest holy to the LORD So it is called also XXXV 2. and XXIII Lev. 3. And so the Sabbath wherein the Land rested is likewise called XXV Lev. 4. But the Hebrew words Schabbat Schabbaton Sabbath of Rest properly signifies Sabbath above all Sabbaths i. e. the greatest Sabbath on which a rest was to be most punctually observed from all manner of Work which the Jews as de Dieu notes call the weighty Sabbath as if other days of rest were but light in comparison with this According to that saying of R. Josee Great is Circumcision because the weighty Sabbath gives place to it that is admits of this Work though the Rest on this Sabbath be so very great Shall surely be put to death As an Idolater who did not acknowledge the Creator of the World See before v. 14. Ver. 16. Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their Generation for a perpetual Covenant The most litteral Interpretation of this Verse seems to me to be that of Lud. de Dieu The Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath by making the Sabbath a perpetual Covenant throughout their Generations That is by never suffering it to be interrupted they made it a perpetual Covenant between God and them throughout all Ages Ver. 17. It is a sign between me and the Children of Israel for ever A Badge and Livery that they were the Servants of the most High who made the Heavens and Earth A Mark of their being devoted to him and continuing in Covenant with him no less than Circumcision For in six days the LORD made Heaven and Earth In memory of which the Sabbath was first instituted to preserve perpetually and establish that most precious History and Doctrine of the Creation of the World as Maimonides speaks More Nevoch P. III. c. 43. And on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed Delighted in the Contemplation of all his Works which he saw were very good I Gen. 31. The same Maimonides observes that the word jinnaphash which we translate was refreshed comes from nephesh which among other things signifies the intention of the Mind and the Will and therefore the sense of this Phrase is All the Will of God was perfected and brought to a Conclusion his whole good Pleasure was absolutely finished on the seventh day More Nevoch P. I. c. 67. Ver. 18. And he gave unto Moses when he made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai When he dismissed him having said all that is before related during his forty days stay with him in the Mount he delivered unto him two Tables of Testimony to carry down with him to the People Two Tables of Testimony Wherein God testified to them his Mind and Will in the principal things which concerned their Duty See XVI 34. Tables of stone That what was written upon them might be more durable There is no ground to think that these Tables were made of some precious Stone as the Author of the Book Cosri and other Jews fancy for the word Eben in the Hebrew simply signifies any sort of Stone and is wont to have some other joyned to it when precious Stones are meant as in 2 Sam. XII 30. 1 Kings X. 2. 2 Chron. III. 6. Written with the finger of God i. e. By God himself Just as the Heavens saith Maimonides are said to be the work of his fingers VIII Psal 4. which he interprets in another place XXXIII 6. By the word of the LORD were the Heavens made Therefore written by the singer of God is as much saith he as by the word that is the Will and good Pleasure of God More Nevoch P. I. c. 66. In short this Phrase signifies that God employed neither Moses nor any other Instrument in this Writing but it was done by his own powerful Operation For all things that we do being wrought by our hands and our fingers these words are used to express God's power See XXXII 16. This was a thing so notorious in ancient times and so much believed by those who were not Jews that many other Nations pretended to the like Divine Writings that they might gain the greater Authority to their Laws Thus the Brachmans report in their Histories That the Book of their Law which they call Caster was delivered by God to Bremavius upon a Mount in a Cloud and that God gave also another Book of Laws to Brammon in the first Age of the World The Persians say the same of those of Zoroaster and the Getes of Xamolxis Nay the Brachmans have a Decalogue like this of Moses and accurate Interpretations of it in which they say there is this Prophecy That one day there shall be one Law alone throughout the World This evidently shows how well the World was anciently acquainted with these Books of Moses and what a high esteem they had of them See Huetius L. II. Alnetan Quaest c. 12. n. 19. CHAP. XXXII Verse 1. AND when the People Not the whole Body of the Congregation but so many of them that the rest durst not appear to oppose their desires Saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the Mount The Jews fancy that he stayed beyond the time that he had appointed for his return to them But that is not likely for he himself was not told how long God would detain him there See XXIV 14. The meaning therefore is that he stayed longer than they expected so that they did not know what to think of it And having as yet received no Directions about the Service of God for which they were called out of Egypt VII 16. and other places they thought it was time to desire Aaron to set about it in such a way as other People served their Gods The people gathered themselves
presently when I have noted that this Translation fashioned it with a graving Tool is not so agreeable to what here follows as another which the Hebrew words will as well bear After he had made it a molten Calf The words in the Hebrew are and he made it c. we translate them after c. to make this agree with what goes before according to our Translation he fashioned it with a graving Tool which may as litterally be translated he bound them up in a bag For we find the word jatzar which we here translate fashioned to have the signification also of binding or tying up and cheret in the Plural Number to signifie a bag 2 Kings V. 23. And thus the Prophet Isaiah as Bochart observes describes the making of Images XLVI 6. they lavish Gold out of the Bag and they make it a God Which agrees with what is here said of Aaron He received the Ear-rings and put them in a Bag and then having made a Mold cast them into it and made a golden Calf See v. 24. A molten Calf So he calls it because it was no bigger than a Calf though the Head was like an Ox and therefore as I observed before so called by the Psalmist What moved Aaron to represent God in this sigure is hard to resolve Most think he imitated the Egyptians among whom he had long lived which seems not to me at all likely since he had seen the Judgment that God executed against all their Gods XII 12. yet so great a Man as J. Gerh. Vossius hath taken a great deal of pains to prove that Joseph was adored by them under the Name of Apis and Serapis and that his Symbol was an Ox. This he hath laboured to support by many ingenious Conjectures But it is not likely if he were thus publickly honoured as a God that a King should arise who knew not Joseph i. e. had no regard to him I Exod. 8. and another succeed him who endeavoured to ruin all his Kindred The Worship of Serapis also was not so ancient for Herodotus saith not a word of it nor any Body else till the time of Alexander the Great and many Authors say it was brought into Egypt out of Pontus by Ptolomy See Bochartus in his Hierozoic P. I. p. 338. And though Apis was more ancient yet not of such antiquity as Moses as a very learned Person of our own Dr. Tenison now Archbishop of Canterbury hath shown in his Book of Idolatry Chap. VI. Part 4 5 c. And as for Osiris both Plutarch and Strabo say he was the same with Apis which was not then known as I have said in Egypt no more than Typhus or Typhon whom Philo thinks to be here intended but was certainly a later Invention and as Bochartus imagines represented Moses himself though very much disguised Cuperus indeed hath made it probable in his Harpocrates p. 83 c. that there was a Serapis worshipped in Egypt before that brought out of Pontus But whether it be so or no I do not take it to be at all material because it is not likely that Aaron would make such a Representation of the Divinity as was in use among them from whose Slavery God had lately deliver'd them For how could he think the LORD to whom he proclaimed a Feast would be pleased to be represented by any of those Idols on whom as I said before he had executed Judgment at their departure out of Egypt Or what reason is there to think the Israelites themselves could be inclined to think their God to be like any thing which that People worshipped who abhorred the Sacrifices which the God of Israel required Their Conjecture seems to me far more likely who think that Aaron in making this Calf took his pattern from some part of the SCHECHINAH which appeared to him and the Elders of Israel when they eat before God XXIV 10. attended with the Angels Some of which called Cherubim they think appeared with the faces of Oxen. But as there is no mention in that place of Cherubims nor of the Angels appearing in any shape whatsoever and Moses expresly saith the Israelites saw no manner of Similitude on the day when the LORD spake to them in Horeb IV Deut. 15. and therefore Aaron and the Elders in all probability saw none afterward so I think there is no evidence that the heavenly Ministers at any time appeared in this shape till the SCHECHINAH departed from the Temple in the days of Ezekiel See XXV 18 20. After all this considered Aaron seems to me to have chosen an Ox to be the Symbol of the Divine Presence in hope the People would never be so sottish as to worship it but only be put in mind by it of the Divine Power which was hereby represented For an Oxes head was anciently an Emblem of Strength and Horns a common sign of Kingly Power So they were among the Phoenicians as Pignorius observes in his Mensa Isiaca p. 15. out of Eusebius his Praepar Evang. L. I. cap. ult and among the Egyptians as Diodorus Siculus relates L. I. and among the Romans as appears by that famous story of Genucius Cipus in Val. Maximus L. V. c. 6. who when he was Praetor had Horns come out of his Head on a sudden as he was going out of the City to the Wars whereupon he was told Regem eum fore si in Vrbem revertisset That he should be a King if he returned into the City And something like it is related by Julius Capitolinus concerning Clodius Albinus at whose Birth a Cow brought forth a Calf with purple Horns which they lookt upon as signum Imperij a Token of Empire Which made the ancient Fathers perhaps when they spake of this Calf or Ox of Aarons mention only its Head For so doth Tertullian L. ad versus Judaeos c. 1. cum processisset eis bubulum caput and St. Cyprian Lactantius St. Hierom St. Ambrose and others Not because they thought Aaron made only the Head but because this was the principal part whereby God was represented And they said The People cried out aloud These be thy Gods O Israel Or as Nehemiah expresses it IX 18. This is thy God c. the Image or Symbol of the Divine Majesty or as Abulensis interprets it His Divine Vertue resideth in this golden Body The Plural Number is commonly used for the Singular especially when God is spoken of as I observed before XX Gen. 13. XXXV 7. 2 Sam. VII 23. Which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt This shows they lookt upon this Ox only as a Representation of the Almighty LORD their God for it being but newly made they could not imagine they were brought by it from the Egyptian Slavery but by his Power which perhaps they fancied now resided in it Ver. 5. And when Aaron saw it he built an Altar before it As at the Peoples request he made it so he seeing them receive it with
Spirit of God in wisdom c. This Verse is explained before XXXI 3 6. only I shall add That the extraordinary Skill which any Man had without teaching in common Arts was by the Heathens ascribed to their Gods There are several Instances of it observed by Maximus Tyrius Dissert XXII Where he argues that it should not be thought strange if a Man be made vertuous by a Divine Inspiration when some have no otherways become admirable Artists Among which he mentions Demodocus a Musician whom Homer introduces speaking thus of himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I was never taught by any body but the Gods bestowed on me the gift of singing The latter end of which Verse is a little otherways in Homer as we now have him Odyss X. but to the same sense and it is Phemius not Demodocus who there speaks as Petrus Petitus hath observed in his Miscell Observ L. 1. c. 19. Ver. 32. And to devise curious works The Hebrew word Chaschab signifies to devise and excogitate whence Macheschaboth which we translate curious works and in the end of the next Verse cunning works is as much as ingenious Inventions devised with much Art Such were the Engines made by King Vzziah which are said to be invented by cunning men or excellent Engeniers as we now speak 2 Chron. XXVI 15. See XXXI 4. where this Verse hath been explained Ver. 33. And in the cutting of Stones c. See XXXI 5. Ver. 34. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach Instruct others in his Arts. For this was a gift of God as much as any of the rest to be able to inform others dextrously in those things which he knew himself As it was to be able to comprehend what Moses told him God had ordered and put it in execution For God gave Moses the pattern according to which all things were to be wrought and as it was a peculiar gift of God which enabled him to represent to Bezaleel what had been set before him so it was by an extraordinary operation on his Mind that he conceived presently what was represented and had Skill to perform it according to direction Ver. 35. Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart to work all manner of work c. This is repeated so often and such particular mention is here made again of their Skill in every thing though of never so difficult Contrivance to assure the Israelites that they were so well qualified for the work that they might be intrusted with the Offerings they had made And accordingly they were XXXVI 3. CHAP. XXXVI Verse 1. THen wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man c. This Verse is only a general Account of what follows more particularly concerning the Execution of that which God had commanded and for the effecting of which the People had liberally contributed It is not said where they wrought but some think it was in that very space of ground where the Tabernacle was set up when perfected Ver. 2. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise-hearted man in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom It appears by this that all the lower Artificers who were taught by the Master-workmen Bezaleel and Aholiab were also disposed by God to learn he giving them a quickness of apprehension and sagacity beyond what was natural to them Even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it Yet this signifies they had also a natural Genius which inclined and prompted them to such Imployments Ver. 3. And they received of Moses all the Offerings which the Children of Israel had brought for the work of the Sanctuary c. Into the hands of all these Artists Moses delivered the Offerings that had been made and directed them what to do with them And they brought yet unto him Free-offerings every morning The hearts of the People were so enlarged that every day they brought new Contributions unto Moses who sent them as appears by the next Verse to the Workmen as soon as he received them Ver. 4. And all the wise men which wrought all the work of the Sanctuary came every man from his work which he made After they had continued some time at their work they all agreed to desist a while and go to Moses to let him know that there needed no further Offerings for they had sufficient already nay more than enough as it follows v. 5. Ver. 5. And they spake unto Moses saying the People bring much more than enough for the service of the work c. A wonderful instance of Integrity that there should not be one Man found among them for the words in the Hebrew are very emphatical isch isch man man that is none excepted who was inclined to purloin any thing for his own proper use but by common consent they left their work to put a stop to all further Contributions A sign they were Men indued with extraordinary Vertue as well as Skill in their Employments Ver. 6. And Moses gave Commandment To those that attended on him or perhaps to Bezaleel and Aholiab and the rest And they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the Camp By some under-Officers who it 's likely were wont to execute such Commands Saying let neither man nor woman make any more work for the Offering of the Sanctuary It seems some Men prepared and made ready some of the things which they offered as the Women spun Yarn and Hair and brought them to Moses For it was not hard to plain Boards for instance though the joyning them together as God appointed was beyond the Skill of common People Ver. 7. For the stuff they had were sufficient c. There were Materials of all sorts for every thing that was to be made beyond what was necessary Ver. 8. And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work of the Tabernacle c. They began first as was but fit with the House of God before they made the Furniture For that was first ordered in general words XXV 8. though the Structure of it be not directed till the XXVIth Chapter Where every thing mentioned in this is explained and therefore there will need no more to be done here but to point to a few things which are explained elsewhere particularly in the foregoing Chapter Ver. 14. He made Curtains of Goats-hair for the Tent over the Tabernacle What is here meant by Tent see XXXV 11. Ver. 19. He made a covering for the Tent. This Curtain covered the Tent as the Curtain of which the Tent was made covered the Tabernacle See XXVI 14. XXXV 11. Of Rams-skins died red The Particle Mem here is cut off before Skins as it is in several Verses of this Chapter 8 34 35. and others Covering of Badgers-skins I observed on XXVI 14. that THACAS doth not signifie a Badger but a certain Colour and alledged that place in XVI Ezek. 10. for the proof of it where God setting forth his kindness