Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh and did so as the LORD commanded them At their first Address to Pharaoh they only delivered their Message but did nothing to confirm it V. 1 c. Nor were they commanded now to work any Miracle unless Pharaoh demanded one Which it is likely he did this second Address to him moving him to ask How shall I know that you come from God And Aaron cast down his Rod before Pharaoh and before his Servants The great Men of the Court who are always supposed to be present where the King was though not mentioned in the foregoing Verse And it became a Serpent See IV. 3. where we read that Moses himself when this Change was first made fled from before it the sight of it was so terrible And therefore it is highly probable that Pharaoh and his Servants were no less startled at the first appearance of it Artapanus relates several other Miracles besides this in Eusebius his Praepan Evang. p. 434 435 441. which I mention to show that the Fame of Moses's Miracles was spread among the Heathen who were so far from disbelieving them that they gave credit to other false Reports which some ill People had mingled with them Ver. 11. Then Pharaoh also called the Wise men When he had recovered the fright in which we may well suppose him to have been he sent some of his Servants to call in those who he thought could cope with Moses and Aaron in wonderful Works Wise men This word is sometimes used in a good sense and therefore to show they were such as we now call Cunning-men he joyns another word to it which is never taken in a good sense viz. Sorcerers Which most take to be such as we call Juglers who cast mists as we speak before Mens eyes and make things appear otherwise than they really are For the Hebrew word Cischeph from whence comes Macaschephim which we translate Sorcerers signifies to delude the sight with false Appearances Sir John Marsham puts these two words together and by the figure of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translates them accersivit peritissimos artis magicae he called the most skilful Persons in the Magical Art Chron. Can. Secul IX Now the Magicians of Egypt This is a third word which seems to be of worse import than the two former Some translate it Necromancers but it being a foreign word we cannot determine its particular meaning though in general no doubt it signifies men that by evil Arts performed amazing things Such as Simon Magus and Elymas in after times See XLI Gen. 8. and Bochart in his Hierozoicon P. 2. L. IV. Cap. XVIII where he hath a large Discourse about the meaning of this word Chartumim which after all that others have said about it he thinks comes from the word Retan which in Arabick and Chaldee signifies to murmur as Magicians were wont to do in their Incantations So Hartun is properly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inchanter And the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with Hecate he thinks alludes to it whom Magicians were wont frequently to invoke The Names of the principal Magicians at this time among the Egyptians were Jannes and Jambres as not only St. Paul 2 Tim. III. 8. but several both Jewish Greek and Roman Writers tell us I will mention but one the Author of Schalsch-Hakkabalah who calls them by these names and saith that in our Language we would call them Johannes and Ambrosius The Reader may find a great many more if he please in Primate Vsher's Annals ad A.M. 2513. and in Bochart's Hierozoic P. I. L. II. c. 53. p. 645. Artapanus in Eusebius calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Priests at Memphis whom Pharaoh sent for to oppose Moses The Original of which sort of Men seems to have been this that God being pleased to admit the holy Patriarchs to familiar Colloquies with him the Devil indeavoured to imitate him that he might keep Men in his Obedience by pretending Discoveries of Secret things to them And when God was pleased to work Miracles for the confirmation of the Truth the Devil directed these Men who were familiar with him how to invoke his help for the performance of strange things which confirmed them in their Errours They also did in like manner with their Inchantments If the Hebrew word come from lahat which signifies a flame See III Gen. 24. it seems to denote such Sorcerers as dazzled Mens eyes and then imposed on them by shows and appearances of things which had no real being But it may be derived from laat which signifies hidden and secret and then denotes those that used secret Whispers or Murmurs as Inchanters did as Bochartus in the place now mentioned interprets it or such as had secret Familiarity with Daemons as it is expounded in the Gemara Sanhedrin Cap. VII n. 10. where there are many Examples of the former sort of Inchantments by the deception of the sight For instance R. Asche relates that he saw a Magician blow his Nose and bring pieces of Cloth out of it And R. Chajah saw one cut a Camel in pieces with his Sword and then set it together again which was nothing saith he but the delusion of the Eye Several other stories are told of the same Nature Ver. 12. For they cast down every Man his Rod. They were sent for to confront Moses and therefore attempted to do the very same thing that he had done For they took him for a meer Magician like themselves and it was a common thing in ancient times for such kind of Men to contend one with another And their great study was as Gaulmy hath observed in his Notes upon The Life and Death of Moses written by a Jew p. 241 c. to find out the Genius that attended their Opposer whom they strove to gain to their side or to terrifie him by a greater and more powerful Angel And they only were insuperable who had a Deity to their genius as Porphyry saith Plotinus had Who contending with Olympius an Egyptian when his Genius was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to appear visibly there came a God and not a Daemon Which made the Egyptian cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is happy who hath a God for his Genius as I suppose it should be interpreted And thus the Jewish Authour of The Life and Death of Moses fancies that these Magicians who resisted Moses turned over all their Books to sind out the Name of that Deity by which he did wonders so much superiour to theirs c. And they became Serpents Not real Serpents but seeming as Josephus understood it and several Christian Writers Particularly Sedulius L. IV. Carm. imagine ficta Visibus humanis Magicas tribuere figuras I omit other ancient Authours who suppose that as Spirits can assume Bodies like to Men so they can as easily out of the same Air make the appearance of a Serpent just as Circe is said in
made him very unfit he thought to be an Ambassadour And this doth not disagree with what St. Stephen saith that he was mighty in Words as well as Deeds VII Acts 22. for the sense of what he spake was great and weighty though his pronunciation was not answerable to it Nor did his ill or weak pronunciation nor his slowness in bringing forth his words hinder him from being an excellent Judge and deciding Causes from Morning to Night as we read XVIII Exod. In the determination of which there was no need of Oratory but of a quick Apprehension exact Judgment and proper Language which he never wanted One would think also that by Use and Exercise he grew prompt in the delivery of his Mind for he made several very long Speeches to the People and especially an incomparable Discourse before his departure out of the World in the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy In the latter end of which his Song shows that he wanted no eloquent words when he pleased to use them Ver. 11. And the LORD said unto him who hath made mans mouth c. Cannot I who formed all the Organs of Speech and made the rest of mens Senses and when I please deprive them of their use take away this Impediment of which thou complainest and make thee to speak as roundly and gracefully as any Man living The Authour of the Life of Moses who makes Pharaoh to have condemned Moses for killing the Egyptian c. See II. 15. fancies that God puts him in mind of his Deliverance at that time As if he had said Who taught thee to make thy Defence when thou wast Arraigned before Pharaoh Who made the King dumb that he could not urge and press thy Execution Who made the Executioner deaf that he could not hear the Sentence when pronounced And who made them all blind that they could not see when thou madest thy escape which is very ingeniously invented but we have no assurance of the truth of this Explication Ver. 12. Now therefore go and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say Excuse thy self no longer but obey the Commission I have given thee and I will both help thy Speech and suggest to thy Mind what thou shalt deliver This doth not signifie as I take it that if he had without further disputing gone about his Business God would have given him a better Elocution but that he would have made his words as powerful as if they had been pronounced with the greatest advantage Or the meaning may be that he should never want either words or thoughts to instruct his Brother Aaron whom God always intended to send along with him Ver. 13. And he said O my Lord. The same form of Speech with that v. 10. Send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send The Vulgar Latin having translated the word SCHILO XLIX Gen. 10. qui mittendus est him that is to be sent it hath inclined several great Men to think that Moses here desires God to send the MESSIAH And several of the ancient Fathers Just Mart. Tertull. and S. Cyprian c. were of this mind as many later Interpreters both of the Roman and of the Reformed Church have been Particularly Flacius Illyricus in his Clavis upon the word MITTO thus explains this Passage Manda id functionis c. commit this Office to the true Messiah or blessed Seed whom thou hast resolved to send who will discharge this Trust far better than I can do c. But there have been and are other very considerable Persons who think Moses means no more than this Send a more proper Person one sitter for this Imployment than I am And the truth is such Speeches as these in Scripture do not denote any certain Person or Thing but signifie something indesinite and in general Examples of which we have in 1 Sam. XXIII 13. 2 Sam. XV. 20. upon which Phrase Vado quo vado I go whither I may the same Flacius observes that it denotes an uncertain motion In like manner Moses here determines his desire to no particular Person but only wishes God would send any Body rather than himself And that he did not think of the Messiah there is this Argument that he had no reason to believe he was now born and yet God's Promise was to send one immediately to relieve the Israelites Upon which Errand also if he had prayed God to send him it would argue Moses to have been in the same Errour with the present Jews that the Messiah was to be a Temporal Deliverer Ver. 14. And the Anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses These words seem to import that God was highly displeased with him and consequently that he had very much offended him Yet some of the Fathers particularly St. Hierom and St. Basil impute his backwardness to serve in this Imployment unto his great Modesty Humility and a deep Sense of his own Infirmities of which the wisest and best Men are far more sensible than other Persons And then this Anger amounts to no more than such a Displeasure as a Father hath at his Child when he is too dissident notwithstanding all that he hath said and done to breed in him a just confidence And therefore no Punishment followed this Anger unless we think as R. Solomon doth that because of this backwardness God preferred Aaron's Family above his or that this was the Cause he would not Cure his Imperfection of Speech but only a Chiding which we may suppose went before the following Question Is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother which carries something of sharpness in it And indeed this may be said in Moses his Excuse That the most Excellent Persons are the least forward to embrace the Offers of great Advancement According to the observation of Plato L. I. de Republ which I find Eusebius also hath noted out of him L. XII Praep. Evang. c. 9. that no Magistracy being designed for the Profit of him that Governs but of those that are Governed I must needs conclude saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that no Man who is considerate he means will voluntarily take upon him the Government of a People but he must be hired to it or he must be punished if he will not undertake it For he that will use his Power well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never doth that which is best for himself but for those whom he governs Such an one was Moses who sought not his own Profit or Glory as those that now seek for great Places by which they design a Benefit to themselves and not to their Neighbours and therefore was not easily perswaded to accept of the high Authority which was offered to him Is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother One would think by this that Aaron was now a principal Person and of most eminent Quality in the Tribe of Levi as may be concluded also from his Marriage with the Sister of the
Moses as they seem to me to be And said surely a bloody Husband art thou to me If the foregoing Interpretation be true these are not the words of an angry Woman but spoken with great affection signifying that she had espoused him again having saved his Life by the Blood of her Son Our famous Mr. Mede indeed Discourse XIV carries the Sense quite another way because an Husband he saith is never called Chatan after the Marriage Solemnity was over Which if it be true makes nothing against what I have said because she lookt upon her self as a second time espoused or married to him by this act which had restored him to her when his Life was in danger It must be granted that the word Chatan doth not signifie only a Spouse but sometime a Son in Law but why Zipporah should call her own Child by this Name I do not see Yet so Mr. Mede understands it and adds that the Rabbins tell us it was the custom of the Hebrew Women to call their Children when they were Circumcised by the Name of Chatan i. e. Spouse as if they were now espoused unto God And indeed Aben-Ezra saith so but I cannot find that this was an ancient Notion among them If it were his Interpretation might be the more easily embraced which is this That these were a solemn form of words used at Circumcision signifying as much as I pronounce thee to be a Member of the Church by Circumcision Thus Val. Schindler also expounds it in his Lexic Pentaglot p. 677. a Child was called Chatan upon the Day of his Circumcision because then he was first joyned to the People of God and as it were espoused unto God And he thinks the Targum countenances this Sense when it thus expounds these words by this Blood of Circumcision a Spouse is given to us Which may as well be understood of Moses being given to her as of the Child for he was as I said restored to her and to his Family upon the Circumcision of the Child So it follows in the next Verse They that have a mind to see the Sense of an eminent Writer of our Church concerning this Passage may consult Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity Book V. in the latter end of the LXII Section where he thus far agrees with me that these words were spoken out of the flowing of abundance of Commiseration and Love with her hands laid under his feet For so he thinks these words She cast it at his feet import Ver. 26. So he let him go i. e. The Angel no longer threatned Moses with death but his Wife to her great joy saw him restored to her in safety From which in after times sprang the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were so famous among the Greeks and Egyptians in the Feasts of Bacchus and Osiris whose Stories Huetius hath lately shown were framed out of this of Moses From whence also as he probably conjectures they used Remedies for Diseases in forma fascini which they hung as Amulets about their Childrens Necks Demonstr Evang. Propos IV. Cap. IV. n. 3. Then she said or when she said a bloody Husband thou art c. i. e. As soon as Zipporah had Circumcised the Child and thrown the Foreskin at her Husband's feet and said these words Moses was delivered from his danger Or according to our Translation as soon as her Husband was safe she repeated the foregoing words saying I have redeemed thy life by circumcising thy Son They that make these words to have been spoken in a rage because she was forced to do what she did suppose her to have had little kindness for her Husband and as little regard to Circumcision I should rather Translate the words So she let him go i. e. let Moses go to Egypt and went back her self to her Father only repeating these words before she went Remember me how I have saved thy Life and made thee my Husband again when Death was at hand by the Blood of thy Son whom I have Circumcised There is only this Exception to it that the Hebrew word for let him go is of the Masculine Gender which is of no great weight because it is usual in this Language when they speak of Females as I observed on I. 21. and it is certain she returned to her Father but whether in this manner no Body can certainly determine For we are not told any where upon what occasion she went back to Jethro unless it be here insinuated as we find she did XVIII 2. together with her Children But it is very probable that she fearing some other danger into which she and her Children might fall by the way or in Egypt might desire Moses to send her home again till he had finished the work he went about unto which he consented Ver. 27. And the LORD said unto Aaron In Egypt I suppose he received this order from God but we do not know how whether by an Apparition of the Divine Majesty to him or in a Dream or otherways Go into the Wilderness to meet Moses The Wilderness was a wide place therefore he directed him no doubt into what part he should go And he went and met him in the Mount of God He went almost to Midian that he might have the more time to hear what Moses's Commission was before they came to Egypt Ver. 28. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD c. Mentioned III. 6 7 8 c. and in this Chapter 14 15 16 c. And all the signs c. See v. 2 3 c. which he told him to confirm his belief that God had spoken those words to him Ver. 29. And Moses and Aaron went Came into Egypt And gathered together all the Elders of the Children of Israel The chief Persons in every Tribe who bore a great sway among them See III. 16. Ver. 30. And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses According to what God had promised v. 15 16. And did the signs The Signs are done by Moses as the Words were spoken by Aaron v. 17. In the sight of all the People Who came along with the Elders Ver. 31. And the People believed All the rest of the People also to whom the Elders reported what they had heard and seen believed that God had sent Moses to be their Deliverer And when they heard that the LORD had visited c. See III. 7 16 17. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped Most humbly acknowledged the Goodness of God and his Faithfulness to his Word CHAP. V. Verse 1. AND afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh When they had convinced the Elders of Israel of their Commission they desired Audience of Pharaoh Which having obtained they went to Court taking some of the Elders along with them to attend them Which is not a meer Conjecture from the decency of the thing that they should go alone on such a Solemn Embassy but so they were commanded
sore Plague more grievous than the former For that spoiled only their Water but not their other Liquors whereas this made them uneasie Day and Night in every place whether they sate or walkt or lay down or did eat and drink For their very Dough as we translate the word of this Verse in the Margin was infested with them as soon as they had kneaded it and so was their Drink in all likelyhood as soon as it was poured into their Cups Nay they got into their Ovens so that for the present I suppose they could not bake their bread Ver. 4. And the Frogs shall come up both upon thee and upon thy People c. They came not meerly into their Houses but crawled upon their Persons And here it is observable that this Plague is limited to the Egyptians Pharaoh his People and Servants the Israelites one would think by these words being exempted from it Ver. 5. And the LORD spake unto Moses say unto Aaron c. No doubt Moses delivered the foregoing Message unto Pharaoh but he it seems turned away and would give no Answer For here immediately follows a new Order which God perhaps gave Moses upon the spot as we speak before he returned home to inflict the Plague he had bid him threaten Ver. 6. And Aaron stretched forth his hand He as the Minister of Moses who was to him as God IV. 16. inflicted this Plague upon Egypt Over the Waters He did not go to every place where there was Water but stood by the River and stretcht his Rod over it towards every part of the Country as Eben Ezra rightly explains it and immediately God effected what Moses had denounced And the Frogs came up and covered the Land of Egypt That is there were vast numbers of them came up for they did not so cover the Land but there was room for more which the Magicians counterfeited The Jews think here was Mensura pro Mensura like for like as we speak For they say it was a piece of their Bondage that the Egyptians when they pleased sent them a fishing and now God made the River spawn nothing but Frogs Whose very croaking others of them think put the Egyptians in mind of the Cries of the poor Children whom they barbarously murdered Ver. 7. And the Magicians did so with their Inchantments c. They should rather have shown their skill in removing the Frogs or destroying those which Moses had brought Which one would think Pharaoh expected from them for they being unable to do this he betook himself to Moses whom he intreats to take them away which he would never have done if their power had not quite failed and been unable to give him any relief So Aben Ezra observes he called for Moses because he saw the Magicians had only added to the Plague but could not diminish it Ver. 8. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said intreat the LORD that he may take away the Frogs c. He that had proudly said not long ago Who is the LORD c. V. 2. now says Intreat the LORD c. This was an acknowledgment that the LORD sent them and that he only had power to remove them In the former Plague he did enough to make Pharaoh know he was the LORD VII 17. but this had that effect upon him for the present which made him earnestly intreat those whom he had scorned to become Intercessors to God for him and his People And I will let the People go that they may do Sacrifice unto the LORD This was not his setled Resolution but the present Danger made him consent to it For if the Frogs had continued long there had been no living in the Country As appears from what we read in Athenaeus out of Heraclides Lembus Lib. VIII Deipnos Cap. 2. who says the whole Country of Paeonia and Dardania were covered with Frogs which God rained down from Heaven in such abundance that the Houses and High-ways were full of them They spent some time in killing of them and by keeping their Doors shut they made a shift for a while to bear this Calamity but when it did no good but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. all their Vessels were full of them and they mingled themselves with their Meat whether boil'd or roast and they could tread no where but upon Frogs they left their Country being forced to it also by the stench of the Frogs when they died They that would see more of this out of several other Authours may consult Bonfrerius upon this very place and Bochartus in his Hierozoic P. 2. L. V. Cap. 2. p. 661 c. Ver. 9. And Moses said unto Pharaoh Glory over me when shall I intreat for thee Do thou appoint the time when I shall pray for thee as St. Hierom translates it and so doth the Syriack and Onkelos and the LXX who differ from the Hebrew Text in words only not in sense For by adding the word saying as we do in VII Judg. 2. where there is the same expression this Paraphrase of Bochart is very proper Hierozoic P. 2. L. V. Cap. 2. though it belongs not to thee to determine the time of thy Deliverance which depends wholly upon the Will and Pleasure of God yet I who am his Minister give thee leave to take so much upon thee as to prescribe what time thou pleasest for the removal of this Plague For thus he thinks Moses his words are to be translated Glory over me by telling me when I shall intercede for thee c. Moses saw perhaps that Pharaoh was much addicted to Astrologers who fancied all things here below to be governed by the Motion and Influence of the Stars and therefore would have him name the time that he might be satisfied there was no day nor hour under such an ill Aspect but he could prevail with God at any Moment he thought good to pitch upon to Deliver him Bonfrerius I think hath expressed in short the literal sense of the Hebrew words Tibi hunc honorem defero ut eligas quando c. I will do thee the honour that thou may'st assign the time And our Dr. Jackson still shorter Glory over me that is saith he you shall command me Ver. 10. And he said to morrow But why not on that very day all Men naturally desiring to be instantly relieved from their Sufferings Perhaps he thought as we said before to try Moses his Power believing the next day not to be so lucky as the present on which Moses had condescended to his Request Or it might now be towards night when he called for Moses who he thought would expect some time to pray to God for what he desired Be it according to thy word Thou shalt have thy desire That thou mayest know there is none like unto the LORD our God Mayest no longer depend upon thy Magicians and their Gods being convinced that our God alone whom we call JEHOVAH can wound and
So that there is scarce any Author who treats of the Sacrifices and the Priests of the Heathens that doth not speak of their Garments also As Moses here in the first Institution of the Priesthood among the Jews to offer peculiar Sacrifices at God's House takes a special care by the Divine direction about their Vestments Which the Hebrew Doctors think so inseparable from the Priesthood that they fancy Adam Abel and Cain did not Sacrifice without them See III Gen. 22. They are called holy because they might be worn by none but them and by them only when they ministred unto God For Aaron thy brother The High Priest had some Garments peculiar to himself which none of the other Priests might wear They were four the Breast-plate the Robe the Ephod and the Plate of Gold There were four more he also wore but they were common to him with the other Priests viz. the Coat the Drawers the Girdle and the Bonnet Their Bonnets indeed and his Miter were of a different form yet they are not considered by the Jews as distinct Vestments being both Coverings of the Head And they make account the High Priest never wore at one time above eight sorts of Garments nor the lower above four This is the universal sense of the Hebrew Writers and I cannot give any account why Grotius mentions only seven Garments of the High Priest reckoning the golden Plate for one which he will have to answer unto the seven Lamps in the Candlestick For it is evident by this very Chapter he wore eight viz. the Ephod v. 8. the Brest-plate v. 15. the Robe v. 31. the Plate of Gold v. 36. the embroidered Coat the Girdle and the Mitre v. 39. which are all ordered for Aaron the High Priest and afterward v. 42 43. Breeches are ordered for him as well as his Sons which make up the number of eight For glory and for beauty To make their Office more respected and strike Men with an awful sense of the Divine-Majesty whose Ministers they saw appear in such grandeur For this and the foregoing Precepts as Maimonides observes were given to render the Sanctuary of God more august and magnificent for which end he magnified the Dignity of those who Ministred there and not only separated them from other Men but ordered them to be clothed in beautiful and precious Garments that they might appear there like Men of Honour More Nevoch L. III. c. 45. unto which R. Levi of Barcelona well adds Praecept XCIX that by these glorious Garments the Priests were put in mind of their Dignity and admonished to perform the Divine Service with a Spirit suitable to the greatness of him unto whom they were Consecrated It may be sit for me also to add That there being two sorts of Garments which the High Priest wore those they called white and these they called golden both of them were very rich and made him look gloriously whether the Materials or the Colours or the Art wherewith they were made be regarded as will appear in the particular account which is given of them in this Chapter See v. 40. Ver. 3. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted So the Hebrews call those who had extraordinary skill in any Art according to the ancient Opinion which made the Heart the Seat of the Mind Whom I have filled with the Spirit of Wisdom Indued with singular skill For the word ruaeh in Scripture sometimes signifies a Gift of God whereby they who had it performed what they undertook excellently And Mechanical Arts are called Wisdom as well as higher Sciences So St. Paul calls himself a wise Master-builder Which was the ancient Language of the World before the time of Pythagoras as Cuperus observes in his Apotheosis Homeri p. 119. out of Georgius Diaconus his Preface to Aristotle's Logick and out of Nichomachus Gerasinus whose words are very remarkable When all before Pythagoras were called by the common Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even Builders of Houses and Curriers of Leather and Pilots 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in general every one that was skilful in any Art or publick Work that Philosopher denied this Name to them Notwithstanding which some Authors in after times still observed the ancient use insomuch that Aelian calls Fishermen who understood their Art well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. I. de Animal c. 2. and Lucian calls Perilaus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wise Brasier and Aristotle himself observes that Phidias was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a wise Stone-cutter L. V. Moral ad Eudemum Nor were the Latines Strangers to this Language as Cuperus shows in the same place which is here used by Moses whose intire sense in these words is this That the Men here spoken of hoing very skilful of themselves in their several Arts their skill was so increased by God's special Gift that they became marvellous Artists That they may make Aarons Garments They were first employed in making Garments for Aaron which were the most costly and required most care in the work about them The principal of these excellent Artists were Bezaleel and Aholiab XXXI 1 2 c. To consecrate him To be put on at his Consecration XXIX 5 6 c. That he may minister to me in the Priests office For without these Garments he might not minister Whence that common saying in the Talmud concerning the Priests While they are clothed in their Garments they are Priests when they want them they are not Priests Which Maimonides expresses thus When they are clothed in their Garments their Priesthood is upon them when they are not clothed with them their Priesthood is not upon them That is they might no more perform Divine Service than meer Lay-men Whence it was that under the second Temple when they wanted the holy Oyl to anoint him the High Priest was made meerly by clothing him with the fore-named eight Garments And as they might not minister without these so they might not add any other to them If they did their ministry was unlawful For which reason they might not wear Gloves on their Hands or Shoes on their feet for from their Knees to which their Breeches reached to their feet they were naked only their Coats in some sort covered their Legs But they stood barefoot in the Sanctuary while they ministred We do not find indeed that God any where forbid them to minister in Shoes but they being not commanded when God orders other Vestments particularly Bonnets for their Heads and saith here expresly these are the Garments thou shalt make that Aaron may minister to me in the Priests Office the Jews thence concluded that God intended they should use no other and not so much as any thing on their Feet in the Sanctuary And this out of Reverence to that holy Place as Moses was commanded to put off his Shoes because of the Presence of God in that Ground where he stood Which to me is an Argument that Moses did
the People and sometimes the whole Body of the People as Corn. Bon. Bertram observes de Repub. Jud. cap. 6. It seems here to be used in the first Sense for he could not speak these words to the whole Body of the People but to the principal Persons of the several Tribes by whom what he said was communicated to all Israel These are the words which the LORD hath commanded â—hat ye should do them Before they entred upon the work he admonishes them that none of it must be done upon the Sabbath Ver. 2. Six days shall work be done but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy Sabbath c. This Commandment was particularly repeated to Moses at the end of all the directions about the building of the Tabernacle See XXXI 13 14 15. and now repeated to them as it was at his late renewing his Covenant with them XXXIV 21. that they might not imagine any of the work here commanded to be done about the Tabernacle c. would licence them to break the Sabbath The observation of which being the great Preservative of Religion that 's the reason it is so often enjoyned and particular care taken to secure it And it is not to be omitted that to show of what great concern it is he calls it here as he did XXXI 15. where the end and use of it is set down the Sabbath of Sabbaths that is the great Sabbath or Rest Ver. 3. Ye shall kindle no fire in your Habitations upon the Sabbath-day To dress their Meat or for any other work otherwise they might kindle a Fire to warm themselves in cold Weather This is sufficiently comprehended under the general Command Thou shalt not do any work XX. 10. Therefore the meaning is Thou shalt not so much as kindle a fire for any such purpose For that 's the Rule they give in Halicoth Olam cap. 2. that such particular Prohibitions forbid the whole kind i. e. all manner of work whatsoever which is here mentioned to show they might not kindle a fire for this work of the Tabernacle Ver. 4. And spake unto all the Congregation c. See v. 1. This is the Thing which the LORD commanded Having secured the observation of the Sabbath according to the Direction given just before he came down from the Mount the first time XXXI 13 14 15. he now relates to them what Commands he received from God concerning all that follows Ver. 5. Take ye from amongst you an offering unto the LORD And first he makes a motion to them from the LORD that they would make a free Oblation of Materials for the Building of the Tabernacle and all other things which the LORD commanded to be made v. 10 c. Take ye is as much as bring ye and so we translate it XXV 2. See there Where it appears that this was the very first thing God said to him concerning a voluntary Offering which was the Foundation of all the rest and therefore is first propounded to the People by him Whosoever is of a willing heart c. See there XXV 2. Ver. 6 7 8 9. All these have been explained in the XXV Chapter v. 3 4 5 c. Ver. 10. Every wise-hearted among you shall come and make all that the LORD hath commanded Every skilful Person in the Art of making the things following The same is said of the Women v. 25. The Hebrew word Cochmah which we translate Wisdom is used variously as Maimonides observes sometimes for the understanding of Divine things sometimes for Moral Vertue and sometimes for skill in aâ—â— Art of which he alledges this place as an instance and sometimes for Craft and Subtilty See More Nevochim P. III. c. 54. The word leb or heart is used here according to the Vulgar opinion of those days that the Heart is the Seat of the Understanding And thus I observed before upon Chap. XXV that excellent Artists are by the Heathen called Wise-men Since which I have observed that this is the Language of Homer himself whose Verses concerning Margites are quoted by Aristotle in more places than one L. VI. Moral ad Nicomach c. 7. L. V. Moral ad Endemum c. 7. where he saith he was so foolish that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gods neither made him a Ditcher nor a Plough-man nor any other sort of Wise-man Upon which Aristotle notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We ascribe Wisdom in Arts to those who excel in them and then he instances in Phidias a Stone-Cutter and Pobycletus a Statuary Ver. 11. The Tabernacle This signifies sometimes the whole Structure of the House of God but here only the fine inward Curtains mentioned XXVI 1 2 c. His Tent. This signifies the Curtains of Goats-hair which were laid over the other XXVI 7 c. His Covering Of Rams-skins and Badger-skins which were thrown over the other two XXVI 14. His Taches and his Boards his Bars his Pillars and his Sockets All these are explained in that Chapter Ver. 12. The Ark and his Staves with the Mercy-seat See XXV 10 13 17. And the Vail of the Covering Whereby the Holy was separated from the most Holy Place Which is here fitly mentioned between the Mercy-seat which was within and the Table c. which were without this Vail Ver. 13. The Table and his Staves and all his Vessels See all these explained XXV 23 24 c. And the Shew-bread This is a short Expression one word as is usual being cut off viz. the Dishes in which the Shew-bread was set For Moses had not order to make the Bread it self but the Dishes as I said on which the Loaves were laid XXV 29. Ver. 14. The Candlestick also for the light and his Furniture and his Lamps See XXVI 31 32 c. With the Oyl for the Light See XXVII 20 21. Ver. 15. And the Incense Altar and the Staves See XXXI 1 2 c. And the anointing Oyl XXXI 23 24 c. And the sweet Incense XXXI 34 c. He mentioned before the Materials for them v. 8. and now the things themselves And the hanging for the door at the entring in of the Tabernacle Of this see XXVI 36. Ver. 16. And the Altar of Burnt-offering with his brazen Grate his Staves These are explained XXVII 1 2 4 5 6 7. And all his Vessels See there v. 3. The Laver and his foot See XXIX 17 18. Ver. 17. The hangings of the Court his Pillars and their Sockets See XXVII 9 10 c. And the hangings for the door of the Court See there v. 16. Ver. 18. The Pins of the Tabernacle c. XXVII 19. Ver. 19. The Clothes of the Service to do Service in the holy place the holy Garments for Aaron the Priest and his Sons c. Of which there is an account in the whole XXVIIIth Chapter And Moses here makes this large enumeration of all the things which God had commanded v. 10. that they might be
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
thirty years old when he was born But it may as well be thought that she was born to Levi in his old Age by another Wife and so she was younger than her Nephew Amram and but his half Sister Which makes their Marriage no more strange than Abraham's Marriage with Sarah Besides it is not certain she was his Father's Sister in the strict sense of that word but might be only one of his Cosins who in Scripture are frequently called Sisters And then when it is said she was a Daughter of Levi the meaning must be his Grandaughter or the Child perhaps of one of his Grandaughters who in these Writings are commonly called Daughters And so all the Objections against this Marriage vanish and the first words of this Verse expound the last A Man of the House of Levi took to Wife a Daughter of Levi that is one of the same House or Family But see VI. 20. Verse 2. And the Woman conceived and bare a Son She had one before this viz. Aaron who it is probable was born before this Persecution began being three years elder than Moses VII 7. And when she saw him that he was a goodly Child His goodly Aspect which seems to have been an early indication of his future Greatness is taken notice of by Strangers particularly by Justin out of Trogus an ancient Heathen Historian L. XXXVI c. 2. where he saith That beside the Inheritance of his Father's knowledge whom he takes to have been Joseph etiam formae pulchritudo commendabat the gracefulness of his Person recommended him to others Insomuch that the whole Fable of Adonis among the Heathen was framed as Huetius conjectures out of this Story of Moses For Apollododorus relates L. III. how Venus admiring the great Beauty of the Infant took him away privily without the knowledge of the Gods and hiding him in an Ark delivered him to Proserpina c. See Demonstr Evang. Propos IV. Cap. III. n. 3. She hid him three Months R. Simeon in Pirke Elieser Cap. XLVIII saith she hid him in a Vault under ground But in Sota they say in the Gemara Cap. I. Sect. 38. he being hid in a secret inner Room of their House was in danger to be detected by his crying when some of the Egyptians came into the outer Room and brought a crying Child with them on purpose supposing the Israelites Infants would answer if any were in the House But there is no certainty of this Ver. 3. And when she could no longer hide him Some discovery being made of him by some means or other by their Neighbours or the search after new born Children being now more narrow and diligent she thought he could be no longer concealed and therefore resolved to expose him in the manner following She took for him an Ark of Bulrushes Or of Wicker for Kimchi observes the Hebrew word Gome signifies the lightest Wood. Patricides an Arabian Writer saith it was made of that which the Ancients call Papyrus and so the LXX and Josephus and Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. 1. p. 343. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was a frutex that grew peculiarly upon the Banks of Nile as Salmasius shows in Solin p. 1002 c. And daubed it with Slime and with Pitch Of this word Slime see XI Gen. 3. It is not improbable that this was used within and Pitch without to keep the Water from coming into the Ark. And so I find in the Gemara of that Title in the Talmud called Sota Cap. I. Sect. 29. where this is said to have been an ancient Tradition Only they say as many of the Rabbins do that Chemar signifies Plaister not Bitumen because the bad smell of that they think would have been noisom to the Child R. Solomon's opinion is that it was pitcht both within and without and plaistred within over the Pitch And she laid it in the flaggs by the Rivers brink That it might not be carried away with the Stream but she might come in the Night and suckle it Some think that the Ark notwithstanding was made below in the form of a Boat that if it should chance to be carried from among the Flaggs upon the Shore it might swim in the River For it is certain the Egyptians made Ships of the forenamed reed as we find in Pliny and Solinus who both mention Papyraceae Naves and in Theophrastus who mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaking of Papyrus as Salmasius observes in his Plin. Exercit. p. 1003 1115 1116. Herodotus also mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his Euterpe Cap. XCVI See XVIII Isa 2. Ver. 4. And his Sister stood afar off to wit what c. By her Mothers order no doubt that she might not seem to be set there on purpose to watch him We read of no other Sister he had but Miriam XXVI Numb 59. who therefore is thought to be the Person Ver. 5. And the Daughter of Pharaoh Called Thermutis by Josephus L. II. Antiq. c. 5. but by Artapanus in Eusebius his Praepar Evang. L. IX c. 27. called Meris or Merris Which is her name as Jacobus Capellus observes in the Fasti Siculi The same Artapanus there says she was married to Cenephres King of the Country above Memphis but had no Child by him Clemens Alexandrinus says the same that she was not only a married Woman but had been long married without being with Child 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but very desirous to have one L. I. Strom. p. 343. Came down to wash her self at the River Not for Pleasure but for Purification this being an ancient Rite of Religion in all Nations to cleanse themselves by washing their Bodies after any Defilement Thus Philo seems to understand it in his Book of the Life of Moses where speaking of this matter he uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is proper to Sacred Cleansing And it seems far more probable than that the scorching heat of the Weather caused by an extraordinary hand of God made her betake herself to the cool Streams for her Refreshment as the Tale is told in the Hebrew Book called The Life of Moses or that the desire of Children carried her hither the Waters of Nile being thought to make Women fruitful Clemens Alexandrinus seems to have put both these together Refreshment and Religion when he saith she came hither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. I. Strom. p. 343. It is still a further fetch of Jonathan who would perswade us that at this time God had smote the Egyptians with a burning Ulcer which made their Flesh so hot that they could not endure it but run to the River to cool their Bodies And in Pirke Elieser Cap. XLVIII this Inflamation is said to have seized on Pharaoh's Daughter whom he calls Bathia Which is indeed the name of a Daughter of one Pharaoh 1 Chron. IV. 18. but to make her the Daughter of Pharaoh King of Egypt as G. Vorstius observes they do in Schemoth Rabba and Vaijra Rab. is altogether
interprets it the Eternal that never dies who am faithful to my Promises and will be to you what I told your Fathers I would be Whatsoever I said in the days of Abraham concerning the giving the Land of Canaan I will certainly perform for I change not Thus shalt thou say to the Children of Israel I AM hath sent me unto you The former words were a Declaration of God's Nature to Moses and in these he bids him in brief only say to the Israelites that he was sent by him Who is That is as was said before necessarily Exists always was and ever will be Who alters not but by whatsoever Name he makes himself known is still the very same God Which was a Name not unknown to the Gentiles as one would think by the word EI which was inscribed in the front of the Delphick Temple as Plutarch tells us and was nothing else but the contraction of EIMI which signifies I AM. Or if we take EI to be an intire word as it is commonly thought signifying thou art Ammonius rightly understood it to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Plutarch reports his word in a Treatise on this Subject the most absolutely perfect Name and Compellation of God For God saith he in the other Inscription on the Temple speaks to us who approach him saying to every one KNOW THY SELF and we are taught to answer to him again in the words of this Inscription THOV ART ascribing to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that true undoubted and only Appellation which belongs to him alone For he only is we are not c. Thus he declares this word to express most perfectly the Divine Essence which is distinguished hereby from all false Gods See Eusebius L. XI Praep. Evang. c. 11. and in the two foregoing Chapters where he takes a deal of pains to show that Plato borrowed this Notion of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Being that is always but had no beginning from these words of Moses And Numenius a Pythagoraean speaks it more plainly when he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is is eternal and stedfast always the very same without variation And no wonder these Men if they met with this Passage in Moses were highly pleased with it for St. Hilary himself tells us that he lighting upon these words as he was musing about God and Religion before he was a Christian was struck with admiration there being Nothing so proper to God as to be And therefore he thought it worthy of God to say of himself I AM THAT I AM and HE THAT IS so he translates the last words hath sent me unto you L. I. de Trinitate Ver. 15. And said moreover unto Moses Thus shall thou say c. For a further Explication of what he had now said and a further Satisfaction of their Minds The LORD God of your Fathers the God of Abraham c. The Name JEHOVAH as we pronounce it seems to be in sense the same with Ehjeh before mentioned Which as it declares his Nature so the word God added to it expresses his Favour Care and Providence And consequently he bids Moses tell the Children of Israel that He who is the Eternal was the God of their Fathers of Abraham Isaac and Jacob To whom he had made many Promises that he would be gracious to their Posterity This was sufficient for them to know of him This is my Name for ever and this is my Memorial c. Some refer the first words this is my Name unto the foregoing Verse I AM and the next this is my Memorial to those which immediately preceed the LORD God of your Fathers which in truth include the whole Jehovah being the same with I am And the meaning is I will be for ever remembred celebrated praised and invoked by the Name of the LORD God of your Fathers c. Ver. 16. Go and gather the Elders of Israel together The word Elders in these Books sometime signifie the Men of the great Sanhedrin as they spake in after times or the Judges in the Highest Court XXI Deut. 2 c. Sometimes the Judges in the Lower Courts XIX Deut. 12. XXII 15. Sometimes it only signifies the Heads of the Tribes as here in this place For now there were no such Courts of Judicature constituted See Selden Vxor Hebr. L. I. Cap. XV. Some indeed particularly Corn. Bertram think it reasonable to suppose that the Israelites had Judges among them all the time they dwelt in Egypt though not mentioned in Scripture as they had no doubt a Form of Religion though we read nothing of it And Moses he thinks is here ordered to send for these who were their Rulers and administred Publick Affairs among them But there is this Argument against it that after this time when Moses had brought them out of Egypt there were no such Judges among them but Moses as we find XVIII Exod. judged all himself to his exceeding great trouble And therefore by Elders we are here to understand only the Wisest and gravest Men of the Nation who were in greatest esteem among them as Mr. Selden afterwards speaks L. I. de Synedr Cap. XV. p. 523 c. or as was said before the Heads of their Tribes The famous H. Grotius confirms this by a nice Observation that both here and Ver. 18. they are barely called Zikne not Hazikne because there was not as yet certum Collegium sed sola qualitas denotatur as he speaks L. de Imp. Sum. Potest circa Sacra Cap. XI n. 15. a certain Colledge or Society of them but their quality only is denoted And no doubt the word always signified Men of Dignity or chief Rank among others both among the Israelites and among the Egyptians as I have observed on XXIV Gen. 2. L. 6. And say unto them The Lord God of your Fathers c. See this explained Ver. 6. Hath appeared unto me Ver. 2 4. Saying surely I have visited you So Joseph when he died assured them God would do L Gen. 24. where I observed to visit them was to bring them out of Egypt And so it signifies here as is evident from what God said to Moses when he appeared to him v. 8. I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians Which was not yet actually done but so absolutely decreed in the Mind of God that he might say he had already done it Or the word Pakad may be translated here as it is elsewhere I have remembred you 1 Sam. XV. 2. that is so as to resolve to deliver them And then the next words may depend on this And that which is done to you in Egypt For the word Seen is not in the Original But either way it relates to what God saith to Moses Ver. 7 9. Ver. 17. And I have said Determined or resolved I will bring you out of the affliction of Egypt into the Land of the Canaanites c. See v. 9. Ver. 18 And
Children of Israel and also unto Pharaoh So these words have respect to both parts of the foregoing Objection And gave them a Charge unto the Children of Israel He laid his Commands upon them strictly requiring them to obey him Which is an higher Expression than we meet withal before in the foregoing Injunctions either in v. 6. or 11. and makes me think this Verse is not a meer Recapitulation of what had been said as some take it but an Inforcement of what he had before commanded And unto Pharaoh King of Egypt to bring the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt I suppose he now gave them Authority to Threaten him if he did not obey Ver. 14. These are the Heads of their Fathers Houses The principal Persons of the several Families of Israel The Sons of Reuben the first-born c. See XLVI Gen. 9. where the Sons of Reuben are reckoned up in this very order in which they are here mentioned again to introduce the Genealogy of Moses and Aaron Who being chosen by God to be the Deliverers of his People it was sit to show that they were of the same Stock though not of the eldest Family of the Children of Israel To whom God promised when he went down into Egypt that he would surely bring him up again XLVI Gen. 4. that is in his Posterity which would not have been so manifestly the Work of God if they that were the Instruments of it had not been of his Posterity Ver. 15. The Sons of Simeon c. They are mentioned for the same reason and in the same order that they were in Genesis XLVI 10. Ver. 16. These are the Names of the Sons of Levi c. Having briefly set down the Heads of the two eldest Families of Israel he enlarges now upon the third from which he himself was descended Gershon Kohath and Merari These three are mentioned also in the XLVI Gen. 11. as coming with Jacob into Egypt And the years of the Life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years He is thought to have lived the longest of all the Sons of Jacob none of whose Ages are recorded in Scriptures but only his and Joseph's whom Levi survived Twenty seven years though he was much the elder Brother Kohath also the second Son of Levi attained near to the same Age with himself v. 18. And his Grandson Moses his Father lived just so long as Levi did v. 20. Next to Levi the longest Liver of all Jacob's Sons was Naphthali if we may believe the Tradition in R. Bechai who saith he lived to the Age of an Hundred thirty and three years which was the Age of Kohath Ver. 17. The Sons of Gershon Libni and Shimi c. These were born in Egypt from whom descended two Families mentioned afterwards III Num. 18 21. Ver. 18. The Sons of Kohath Amram c. He had the most numerous Off-spring of all Levi's Sons III Numb 28. from the eldest of which Moses came And the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years He sets down the Age of none but only of Levi his great Grandfather and Kohath his Grandfather and of Amram his Father And Primate Vsher makes account that Kohath was Thirty years old when Jacob came into Egypt and lived there an Hundred and three years and died Thirty two years before Moses was born See Chronolog Sacra Cap. XI Ver. 19. The Sons of Merari Mehali From this Mehali it is thought sprung the famous Singer Heman who composed the LXXXVIII Psalm 1 Chron. VI. 33. And Mushi From whom descended Ethan who composed the LXXXIX Psalm 1 Chron. VI. 44. Ver. 20. And Amram took him Jochabed his Father's Sister to Wife It must be acknowledged that the Hebrew word Dod signifies an Uncle and therefore some would have the word Dodah in this place to signifie only his Vncle's Daughter So the Vulgar and the LXX translate it But Moses tells us so expresly that she was born to Levi in Egypt XXVI Numb 59. that it unavoidably follows she was Sister to Amram's Father Which the forenamed great Primate maintains Cap. VIII of the same Book against Scaliger and Pererius who would have Jochabed called Levi his Daughter only as Ephraim and Manasseh are called Jacob's Sons Which would make a very easie Sense as I observed II. 1. if it would consist with those words in Numbers XXVI 59. whom her Mother for that must be understood bare to Levi which show she was his Daughter And thus R. Solomon understood it and so did Tostatus and Cajetan and divers others whom our Vsher there mentions And see our most Learned Selden L. V. de Jure N. G. Cap. IX p. 584. Which shows how sincere a Writer Moses was who doth not stick to relate what might be thought in after Ages when the Law against such Marriages was enctaed a blot to his Family And it is observable that he doth not say one Syllable in Commendation of his Parents though their Faith deserved the greatest Praise as the Apostle to the Hebrews shows XI 23. But Moses as Jac. Capellus truly observes did not write for his own Glory but for the Service of God and of his Church ad A. M. 2481. And she bare him Aaron and Moses This shows that God exactly fulfilled his Promise of Delivering the Israelites out of Servitude in the fourth Generation XV Gen. 16. i. e. the fourth from their Descent into Egypt for Moses was the fourth from Levi being his great Grandson And the years of the Life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years The very same Age with his Grandfather Levi v. 16. Ver. 21. And the Sons of Izhar Korah c. He gives an account of his Uncle's Sons but saith not one word here of his own Who were not to succeed him in his Place and Dignity nor to be advanced to any other Office Such was his Humility and generous Love to his Country that he only sought the Good of that but Nothing for his own Family Ver. 22. And the Sons of Uzziel c. This was another of his Uncles whose Posterity he mentions that it might be seen how God blessed the Tribe of Levi notwithstanding the Sin he had committed at Schechem and the Punishment his Father denounced against him for it XLIX Gen. He saith nothing of Hebron another of his Father's Brothers because perhaps he died Childless or his Children had no Issue Ver. 23. And Aaron took him Elisheba Daughter of Aminadab Sister of Naashon to Wife Though he says nothing here of himself yet he relates particularly what concerned Aaron who he shows was matcht into an honourable Family with the Sister of a Prince of the Tribe of Judah chief Commander of their Host when they were come out of Egypt I Numb 7. II. 3. The knowledge of this he thought might breed in Posterity a greater Reverence to the Priesthood which was setled in the Family of Aaron And
Nabi they fancy was not now in use to signifie a Prophet as appears say they from 1 Sam. IX 9. where it is said He that is now called Nabi a Prophet was before time called Roch a Seer Which seems to signifie that the word Nabi which Moses here uses for a Prophet was but newly come into use in Samuel's days But this is very far from Samuel's meaning whose plain sense is this that he who foretold things to come or discovered secrets was anciently called a Seer not a Prophet Which signified heretofore only an Interpreter of the Divine Will but now they began in Samuel's days to apply the word Nabi or Prophet to those who could reveal any Secret or foresee Things future Which had not been the use of the word formerly but it signified as I said one that was familiar with God and knew his Mind and delivered it to others as I observed upon XX Gen. 7. where God himself calls Abraham a Prophet as he here calls Aaron And what holy Writer would dare to alter the word which God himself used Which is far more proper also to this purpose than either ROEH or CHOSEH which these Men sancy were the words in use in Moses his time not Nabi for they do not answer the intention of God in this Speech concerning Aaron Who was not to see and Divine or to receive Revelations from God but to be a Mouth to Moses to utter what God revealed to him not to Aaron Which is the original signification of the word Nabi there being no derivation of it so natural that I can find as that of R. Solomon's from the word Nub which signifies to utter or to bring forth X Prov. 31. Ver. 2. Thou shall speak all that I command thee c. This explains the latter end of the former Verse that Moses should deliver God's Mind to Aaron and Aaron should deliver it to Pharaoh requiring him from God to dismiss the Children of Israel out of his Country Ver. 3. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart Or but I will harden c. which Avenarius translates I will permit his heart to be hardned Though there is no need of it for God here only foretels what Pharaoh would force him to do See IV. 21. after several Signs and Wonders had been wrought to move him to Obedience For he was so stupid and hardned his heart so often VIII 15 32. that in conclusion God hardned him by withdrawing all good motions from him And therefore the first time that Jehovah is said to harden his heart there is a special remembrance of this that the LORD had foretold it IX 12. And multiply my Signs and my Wonders c. The first Plagues that were inflicted on him proving ineffectual it was necessary to send more and greater that if it had been possible his heart might have been mollified Ver. 4. But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you Or rather and Pharaoh shall not hearken to your demands For this was the effect of his hardning That I may lay my Hand upon Egypt Smite all their First-born upon which immediately followed their march out of Egypt And bring forth mine Armies c. All the Tribes of the Children of Israel which were so multiplyed that every one of them singly made an Army See VI. 26. By great Judgments That is grievous Plagues which he inflicted on them one after another And thereby made good his word that Moses should be a God to Pharaoh v. 1. that is a Judge as the word Elohim sometimes signifies See VI. 6. Ver. 5. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD Be convinced or made sensible that none can withstand me When I stretch forth my hand against Egypt c. This was most especially fulfilled when he smote their First-born which made them look upon themselves as lost Men if they continued disobedient XII 33. Ver. 6. And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commaded them so did they He repeats what he saith of their Obedience to God's Commands because from this time forward they no longer disputed nor made any Objection but roundly went about their business Ver. 7. And Moses was fourscore years old c. The Israelites were under an heavy Persecution when Moses was born and God exercised their Patience it appears by this a very long time that their Deliverance might be for ever remembred with the greater Thankfulness and Obedience Such grave Persons as these were fittest to be imployed as God's Commissioners in this Affair for they could not well be thought to be hot-headed Men who thrust themselves forward into this Embassy without a Warrant So some of the Jews very judiciously have observed that God made choice of aged Men to work all his Miracles before Pharaoh and to receive his Revelations because they were not apt to invent nor to be under the power of Fancy at those years See Sepher Cosri L. I. Sect. 83. where Buxtorf notes that Aben Ezra observes upon this place That none besides Moses and Aaron ever prophesyed in their old Age because they were more excellent than all the Prophets Ver. 8. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron saying When they were about to renew their Address to Pharaoh God was pleased again to appear and give them his Directions in their Proceedings Ver. 9. When Pharaoh shall speak unto you saying shew a Miracle for you It was likely that Pharaoh would when he was not in a Passion ask How shall I know that you come from God with this Message to me give me some proof of your Authority And such a proof as can be done by none but by the Power of God And therefore God directs Moses what to do in this case Say unto Aaron Take thy Rod. The same Rod is sometime called the Rod of God IV. 20. sometime Moses his Rod and sometime Aarons as we find it in many places v. 10. 19. of this Chapter and VIII 5.19 c. Because God wrought all the following Miracles by this Rod which sometimes Moses and sometimes Aaron held in their hand But commonly Moses delivered it unto Aaron as an Agent under him to stretch it out for the effecting of Wonders For he tells Pharaoh in this very Chapter that with the Rod which was in his hand he would smite the Waters c. v. 17. And immediately the LORD bad him Say unto Aaron Take thy Rod and stretch out thy hand upon the Waters of Egypt v. 19. By which it appears he had delivered the Rod unto Aaron For a Rod being the Ensign of Authority Prophets were wont to carry one in their hand in token of their Office And so did the Egyptian Magicians also who had every one their Rod ready to throw down v. 12. And Mercury whom the Egyptians counted a Prophet and thence called him Anubis was represented with a Wand in his hand And cast it before Pharaoh As God had before directed Moses IV. 3 21. Ver. 10. And
heal Ver. 11. And the Frogs shall depart from thee c. This demonstrated the power of Moses with God that he could as certainly foretel the removal of the Frogs as he had done the bringing them upon the Land Ver. 12. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh To the place it is likely where Moses was wont to attend upon the Divine Majesty And Moses cried unto the LORD because of the Frogs In the Hebrew the words are Cried to him about the business or the matter of the Frogs which God had sent upon Pharaoh Or as Aben Ezra understands it concerning the Frogs which he had promised Pharaoh should be removed as if the words should be translated thus He cried unto the LORD concerning what he said about the Frogs and appointed unto Pharaoh For so the word Sham in XV. 25. signifies to appoint or propose and so the LXX here translate the words which we render had brought against Pharaoh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he had appointed to Pharaoh Ver. 13. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses So powerful was he with God in Prayer as the Heathens themselves observed from this Story See what I observed out of Numenius VII 12. And the Frogs died c. The Egyptians could not kill them but God took away their breath yet not removing them from the places where they were but leaving them dead there As appears by what follows Ver. 14. And they gathered them together on heaps That they might carry them it is likely into the River and so they might go down into the Sea God could have dissolved them into Dust if he had pleased or swept them into the River from whence they came or made them quite vanish in an instant But he would have them lye dead before their eyes as a Token they were real Frogs and no Illusion of their sight And the Land stank This was a further sensible Evidence that they were real Frogs Ver. 15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite That he was freed from the great strait in which he was For the Hebrew word for respite signifies breathing or inlargement and makes the sense to be this that when the burden that pressed him was taken off so that he could take his breath he was of another mind c. He hardned his heart and hearkned not unto them c. Was not so good as his word v. 8. but returned to his former Resolution not to let Israel go Which Resolution grew so much more stubborn and obstinate than it had been before by how much the Plague of the Frogs had softned his heart and inclined it to yield to God more than the two former Miracles had done Ver. 16. And the LORD said unto Moses say unto Aaron The LORD seems to have given Pharaoh no warning of this Plague but to have inflicted it immediately upon the removal of the Frogs viz. on the Twenty seventh day of the sixth Month. For his breach of Faith was such an high Provocation that he deserved no other Treatment but a more notable Judgment Smite the Dust of the Land that it may become Lice Some would have the Hebrew word Cinnim to signifie Gnats or some such kind of Creature Thus many of the Ancients understand it and Artapanus calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a flying sort of living Creature which made such Ulcers by its biting as no Medicine could cure See Eusebius L. IX Praepar Evang. p. 425. But Bochartus hath sufficiently proved that our Translation is right and that out of the very Text. For Gnats and such like Insects are bred in Fenny places but these were brought out of the Dust of the Earth Ver. 17. Aaron stretched out his hand with his Rod. He still is the Instrument to execute all the Judgments which Moses denounced as he was his Mouth to deliver all the Messages he carried to Pharaoh And smote the Dust of the Earth and it became Lice This showed the Lice were not a Natural Production for they come out of the sweat and filth of Mens Bodies and of other Living Creatures In Man and Beast This proves they were Lice which stick fast both to Men and Beasts Whereas Gnats though they sting sorely cannot be said to be in Man and Beast for they are a most restless Creature continually buzzing about and never setling constantly in one place And there were various sorts of these Lice for Beasts do not breed the same that Men do nor have all Beasts alike but some are peculiar to Horses others to Oxen others to Sheep and others to Swine and Dogs All the Dust of the Land became Lice That is Nothing could be seen but Lice where Dust was before Or Lice were mingled every where with the Dust Throughout all the Land of Egypt Not of Goshen it is very probable which was inhabited mostly by Israelites Ver. 18. And the Magicians did so c. Attempted and endeavoured to do so by using their wonted Invocations and Rites of Incantation For the common saying among the Jews is very frivolous That Daemons have no power over Creatures so small as Lice The meaning of which Gaulmyn thinks they themselves did not understand which according to the Principles of the ancient Magick was this That all Animals had a particular Genius presiding over them by whose Assistance their Worshippers could do any thing among that sort of Creatures But this is meant only of perfect Animals not of Insects among whom they reckon'd Lice which had no such heavenly Power waiting on them But if there had been any such Notions then these Magicians sure would have understood it and not fruitlesly have attempted that which they had no hope to produce But they could not Though they had counterfeited the former Wonders yet here a stop is put to their Power so that they themselves confess their weakness So there were Lice upon Man and upon Beast This seems to suggest that since they could not produce any new Lice they attempted to remove those which Moses had brought upon the Country But they failed in that also for notwithstanding all that they could do both Men and Beasts were pestered with Lice The Hebrews say in The Life and Death of Moses that this Plague was inflicted upon the Egyptians for another piece of Oppression which they exercised on the Israelites to whom they said Go sweep our Houses and sweep our Streets c. therefore God made Lice to cover the Earth a Cubit deep But this favours too much of their fabulous invention It is more pertinent to observe that though we read of particular Persons who for great Crimes were punished with the Plague of Lice See Huctius L. II. Quaest Cap. XII n. 12. yet we do not find in any Story a whole Nation infested with them and that both Men and Beasts without Exception the Magicians themselves in all likelyhood being sorely asslicted with them which made them cry out as
his contemptuous disregard of it was very provoking So that God would forbear no longer than till the next Morning before he scourged him with this new Judgment Which was very grievous and noisom as appears by the following words especially by his willingness to grant more than he had done before that he might be rid of it Ver. 24. And the LORD did so Here is no mention of Aaron's stretching out his Rod as at other times but this was done immediately by God himself That the Egpytians might not imagine there was any secret Vertue in the Rod but ascribe all to the Divine Power This Plague was threatned about the XXVIIIth day of the sixth Month and inflicted on the XXIXth and removed on the XXXth And there came a grievous swarm of Flies c. Or a vast number of Flies for so the word Caved which we here translate grievous or heavy is used in L Gen. 9. See there And the Land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of Flies We are to understand here by the Land the Inhabitants of the Land whose Blood these Flies suckt and left such a poison in it that their Bodies swell'd and many of them died So the Psalmist understood it LXXVIII 45. There is something like this recorded in Heathen Stories particularly they say that when Trajan made War upon the Agarens he was so assaulted with Flies when he sat down to eat that he lookt upon them as sent by God and desisted from his Enterprise And that whole Countries have been infested with them appears from a number of Gods that were worshipped because they were supposed to have drove them away at Acaron and several other places mentioned by the Learned Aretius in the place above quoted from whence came the Names of Jupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of Hercules 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Ver. 25. And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron c. Sent a Messenger to call them to him Go ye Sacrifice to your God in the Land He had consented to let them Sacrifice when he last sent for them v. 8. But he named no place and also quickly repented of the Concession But now he determines it to the Land of Goshen where he grants them Licence to offer Publick Sacrifice But this Moses tells him in the next Verse was not fit for them to accept nor was it what God demanded Ver. 26. And Moses said it is not meet so to do Besides that this is not the thing that God requires it is not prudent because it is not safe for us to do it For we shall Sacrifice the Abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God There is no Indication that I can find of any such Sottish Idolatry now among the Egyptians as was it is certain in after Ages but what seems to be suggested in this place which Learned Men have generally interpreted as if the Sense was this We must Sacrifice to our God Oxen Sheep and Goats which the Egyptians Worship and Adore and that would be such an abominable thing in their Account to kill their Gods that it would give them the highest Provocation Thus both the Chaldee Interpreters the Syriack St. Hierom and others which Bochartus himself approves of in his Hierozoic P. 1. L. II. Cap. XXXIV LIII and more largely P. 2. L. IV. Cap. XVII But there is an Objection lies against this Interpretation that long after Moses his time the Egyptians themselves did offer all the fore-mentioned Creatures to their Gods For Herodotus relates in his Euterpe Cap. XLI after what manner they Sacrificed an Ox in his time and though some parts of the Country abstained from Sheep yet they sacrificed Goats as on the contrary others abstained from Goats and sacrificed Sheep See upon XLIII Gen. 23. Therefore it may be a Question Whether these words do not refer only to the Rites and Ceremonies of Sacrificing and to the qualities and condition of the Beasts which were offered about which the Egyptians in after Ages were very curious For the same Herodotus tells us in the same Book Cap. XXXVIII how the Sacrifices were examined by the Priest and none allowed to be offered but those which had his mark upon them And so Plutarch in his Book de Isid Osir that the Egyptians thinking Typho to have been red sacrificed only such Oxen as were of a red colour making such an accurate Scrutiny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that if a Beast were found to have one hair Black or white it was judged unsit for Sacrifice The forenamed Herodotus indeed saith they would not Sacrifice Cows because they were sacred to Isis which shows that in his time there was great Superstition about such Creatures so that none durst offer the least Violence to them But as we have no Evidence that in the days of Moses they were infected with such Opinions so their Sacrificing such Creatures as the Jews did long after his days and all Mankind had done from the beginning seems to be a prejudice against that sense of the words which is generally put upon them But there were so many various ways of Sacrificing in the World that it is very probable the Egyptians differed very much from the Israelites who might offer also it's likely such Creatures as the Egyptians thought unclean whereby they might be inraged at their Profaneness Maimonides fancies the Egyptians worshipped the Sign or Constellation called Aries and that this was the occasion of this Speech for which I can see no reason More Nevochim P. III. Cap. XLVI And will they not stone us We cannot gather from hence that there was such a Punishment among the Egyptians as stoning Men to death For he doth not speak here of Punishment by their Laws but of what might happen from a Popular Fury Ver. 27. We will go three days journey into the Wilderness c. So God had directed them and it was not lawful for them to Sacrifice in any place but where he appointed Philo gives this reason why they were to go into a Solitary place there to receive Commands from God about Sacrifice and all other parts of his Worship because God intended to give them a Law different from those of other Nations or rather quite opposite unto them In which there were so many singular Rites that they would have offended other People and seemed to them Prophane if they had exercised them among them De Vita Mosis p. 615. And thus Corn. Tacitus understood the design of Moses not to bring the Israelites to as near a Conformity as he could with the Gentiles which some now in these days fancy but to keep them at the greatest distance from other Nations by opposite Rites of Worship His words are remarkable L. V. Histor Cap. IV. Moses quo sibi in posterum Gentem sirmaret novos ritus contrariosque caeteris mortalibus indidit Profana illis omnia quae apud nos sacra rursum concessa
of Gold as Casaubon speaks in his Annotations on this place L. XVI p. 760 761. CHAP. XIII Verse 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying After they came to Succoth where I suppose the SCHECHINAH appeared to him as it had done in Midian and in Egypt to direct him in his Conduct Ver. 2. Sanctifie unto me the First-born Separate or set apart from common uses for I appropriate them to my self as it follows in the end of the Verse This word Sanctifie as our Mr. Mede observes signifies differently in several Conjugations Sometimes it signifies to devote and consecrate to the Service of God and sometimes to use a thing as holy being already devoted to him And thus he reconciles this place where he bids him sanctifie all the First-born i. e. look upon them as things separated to his own use and therefore not to be used by them with another place XXVII Lev. 26. where he saith concerning the First-born No Man shall sanctifie it it is the LORD's i. e. the LORD hath already set it apart to himself and therefore no Man is to Consecrate that again which God hath already Consecrated that is taken for his own See L. II. de Sanctuario Dei p. 552. First-born There were two sorts of First-born Some who were the First-born of the Father called the beginning of his Strength XXI Deut. 17. The other the First-born of the Mother which are called here whatsoever openeth the Womb. The Hebrews make a great difference between these two and say That to the former sort belong the Prerogatives both of having the Inheritance of his Father and also the Priesthood but to the latter only belongs one of these Prerogatives viz. the Priesthood And they gather it from this very place Whatsoever openeth the Womb which is the First-born of the Mother is mine i. e. shall be employed in my Service But instead of these God took the Levites to attend upon him III Numb 12. After which the First-born were to be redeemed at a certain Rate which was part of the Priests maintenance XVIII Numb 15 16. See Selden de Successionibus ad Leg. Hebr. c. 7. Among the Children of Israel Whom this Precept concerned peculiarly but no other People Therefore the Jews say that if one of them and a Gentile had any Beast in Common between them the First-born was free as their Phrase is because it is here said among the Children of Israel not the Gentiles See Buxtorf Synag Jud. c. 38. Both of Man and Beast As is further directed and explained v. 12 13. It is mine And therefore was to be offered to God if it were a Male of any Beast only an Ass was to be redeemed XXXIV 19 20. God intended by this Law to teach them saith R. Levi Barzelonita that the whole World was his and that Men had nothing in it but by his gracious Grant who challenged the First-born of every thing to himself because all was his For the First-born Male was dearer to a Man saith he than the Apple of his Eye as no doubt he was yet he was bound to Consecrate him to God But the plainest reason of this Law was to put them in mind of God's miraculous Providence in sparing their First-born when those of the Egyptians were all killed To which the Jewish Doctors add a more ancient right God had to them being the Persons who Sacrificed to God before Priests were ordained by the Law of Moses So Onkelos takes the young men XXIV 5. to have been the First-born and the Priests mentioned XIX 22. Aben Ezra also upon XVI Numb 1. saith the same the truth of which I shall examine there Ver. 3. And Moses said unto the People God seems to have commanded Moses at the same time he gave this Precept to repeat here at Succoth what he had said to them in Egypt concerning the Observation of the Passover and of the Feast of Vnleavened Bread It being of great moment to have the Benefits hereby Commemorated in perpetual remembrance Remember this day c. Which was the first day of Unleavened Bread commanded to be kept holy XII 16. For by strength of hand the LORD brought you out That is by a miraculous Power which constrained Pharaoh to let you go much against his will So God promised at his first appearance to Moses III. 19. There shall no leavened Bread be eaten Unleavened Bread was to be eaten on the Passover Night and afterwards no leavened Bread See XII 15 c. where this is represented as the Sense of the Jews but the sixth and seventh Verse following seem to say otherwise Ver. 4. This day came ye out In the Morning of this Day they began their March In the Month of Abib This word Abib signifies an Ear of Corn for then Barley began to ear The Syriack word hababa hath something of its sound which signifies a flower and so they here translate it The Month of Flowers Whence Macarius saith God brought Israel out of Egypt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Month of Flowers when the pleasant Spring first appeared See XXIII 15. Ver. 5. And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the Land c. From hence they conclude this Precept did not oblige them in the Wilderness but it was by a special Direction and Command that they observed it the year after this IX Numb 1 2 c. See XII 25 50. In confirmation of which the XII Deut. 1. is alledged where he begins to recapitulate all the Laws they were to observe in Canaan among which this is one XII 5 6. yet this alone would not have been sufficient to prove this for he might be thought now only to reinforce his Laws at their etrance into Canaan if he had not added v. 8. Ye shall not do after all the things you do here this day c. Which supposes that in the unsetled Condition wherein they were in the Wilderness they had not kept themselves to all those Rules which follow and had been formerly delivered Which he sware unto thy Fathers to give thee c. XV Gen. 18 19 c. Ye shall keep this Service in this Month. Both the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread XII 25. Ver. 6. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened Bread This seems to confute what the Jews say that they were not bound to eat unleavened Bread but only when they ate the Passover See XII 15. And in the seventh day shall be a Feast unto the LORD As the first day was holy v. 3. so was the last XII 16. that they might not fail in their Gratitude for so great a Benefit as they now Commemorated Ver. 7. Vnleavened Bread shall be eaten seven days This seems still to make the Injunction plainer that for seven days together they should eat unleavened Bread Which is so often repeated because this made them sensible more than any thing else of the wonderful Hand of God in bringing them out of
places And after all the pains that Franc. Gomarus hath taken in his Lyra Davidis to find of what sort of Numbers this and other Songs in Scripture consists he hath not given any satisfaction to Learned Men. Who think as Ludov. Capellus doth in his Animadversions on that Book that all the Bible may be made Verse according to his method Nay by his way of resolving Sentences all the Orations of Tully and Demosthenes may be turned into Verse of some sort or other The Author of Sepher Cosri seems to me to deal ingenuously who when the King of Cosar objects to them that the Songs in the Bible are not artificially composed according to Numbers and Quantities of Feet and Syllables makes the Jew answer That the Scripture Poetry was of a nobler sort not formed to tickle the Ear but affect the Heart by the great height and elevation of the Sense together with lofty Expressions whereby Men were moved to attend to it and to keep it in mind P. II. Sect. 69. c. And so much Abarbinel acknowledges upon this place That no such Verses consisting in the number and quantity of Syllables are to be found either in the Bible or in the Talmud either in the Mischna or the Gemara but are of later invention among the Jews in imitation of the Arabians and other Nations among whom they dwell in this long Captivity Yet in the Scripture Poetry there is a certain disposition of words which make them melodious and sit to be sung to Musical Instruments and so sententious that they might be more easily remembred than simple Narrations though now after so many Ages they cannot reduce this Poetry to Rules He tries indeed to bring this Song under certain Regulations fancying that it consists of eight Orders or Ranks as he calls them two of which are very short and two very long and four of a middle size which he prosecutes with much Subtilty but with little Satisfaction And spake saying I will sing unto the LORD c. Every one joyned in this Song of Praise which may be thus Paraphrased Ver. 1. We will joyfully praise the LORD for he hath in a most illustrious and magnificent manner shown his Power by throwing Horse and Men when they little thought of it into the Sea Ver. 2. It is he who hath given us this Victory and therefore he is to be praised and acknowledged as our Deliverer He is our most gracious and mighty God for whom we will prepare a Tabernacle wherein to Worship him Our Fathers had great Experience of his Goodness and therefore we are the more bound to make him our most thankful Acknowledgments and give him the highest Praises Ver. 3. There is none can stand before the LORD who hath perfectly subdued our Enemies and faithfully fulfilled his Promises to his Servants Ver. 4. For he hath cast Pharaoh and all his Chariots and great Commanders into the Sea as easily as one sends an Arrow out of a Bow Ver. 5. They are buried and shall rise up no more Ver. 6. Thou hast manifested thy Omnipotence O LORD most magnificently it was thy irresistible Power O LORD which dashed in pieces such mighty Enemies Ver. 7. It was a work of thy most excellent Power which will be ever magnified in the overthrow of such Adversaries With whom thou no sooner showedst thy self displeased but they vanished as stubble doth before the slame Ver. 8. Thou didst but give the Command and by a vehement Wind the Waters of the Sea were divided and heaped up so that they swelled into little Mountains and were campact like a Wall which was upheld from falling down till the People passed through the midst of the Sea Ver. 9. Our Enemies pursued us with a full considence that they should overtake and make a prey of us and after they had satisfied their Revenge upon us as certainly reduce us under their yoke as they drew their Swords against us Ver. 10. But with a turn of the Wind all their vain hopes sunk on a sudden together with themselves to the bottom of the Sea Ver. 11. There are none among all that are called Gods in Heaven or in Earth that are comparable to thee O LORD whose Perfections infinitely transcend all other and therefore art to be praised with the greatest fear and reverence for thy very works are wonderful and to be had in admiration Ver. 12. By thy mighty Power they were buried in the bottom of the Sea into which they sank Ver. 13. And in great mercy thou hast preserved thy People whom thou hast brought out of Egypt and rescued from cruel Servitude and conducted by a mighty Providence towards the holy Land which thou hast promised to them there to dwell among them Ver. 14. And why should we doubt of our coming thither The fame of this wonder shall go before us and strike a terrour into the most valiant Inhabitants of that Country Ver. 15. Nay all their Neighbours as well as they shall sind their hearts fail them and become as weak as Water Ver. 16. Such a terrour shall fall upon them that they shall be no more able to stir than a stone when they hear of this dreadful Execution but suffer thy People O LORD to pass to their Inheritance which thou hast prepared for them Ver. 17. Thither shalt thou bring them and there make them to take root in the highest Mountains of that Country where thou hast designed a place for thine own Dwelling of which thy Power also will lay the Foundation Ver. 18. And thou shalt do more Wonders since thy Dominion and Power endures to all Ages Ver. 19. For who can dethrone Thee Who in the same Sea hast made a Grave to bury the Egyptians and a Path for thy People Israel to walk in as if they had been on dry Ground And now having given the sense of the Song in this Paraphrase it may be proper to confirm it by the Explication of some Phrases in it Ver. 1. Hath he thrown into the Sea The Hebrew word ramah signifies a sudden Precipitation when they were in the heigth of their hopes to overtake and subdue the Israelites Ver. 2. He is my God Though some think the word El to be a Contraction of Elohim yet it seems to be derived from ajal and is generally thought to import might and strength But I have taken in the other Notion of goodness also See v. 11. Ver. 3. Prepare him an habitation As if they thought a Cloud too mean an Habitation for the Divine Glory they resolve to build him a Tabernacle just as David ashamed he should dwell in a Tabernacle designed to build him a Temple My Fathers God i. e. Jacob's of whom God took a singular care both before and after he came into Egypt Ver. 3. The LORD is a Man of War i. e. Gets great Victories as the Targum expresses it For when the Hebrews would express any eminent quality they put the word isch before
thing for if it had they could not have understood Moses nor known what he meant See what I have noted upon the Second of Genesis where I thought it reasonable to assert That God intended to preserve a Memory of the Creation in six days by appointing the seventh day to be kept holy And therefore the more pious any people were the greater respect they had to this day But when the World grew very wicked before the Flood as they little thought of God so it is likely they neglected all distinction between this day and others And the dispersion of People after the Flood very much blotted it out of their minds as it did many other good things But in the Family of Abraham we may well suppose it was continued though not with such strict abstinence from all Labour as for special reasons was afterward enjoyned Which is the cause why we read nothing of their resting in their Travels upon that day before their coming out of Egypt Where they were under such cruel Servitude that all observation of the seventh day it is likely was laid aside they being pressed day and night by their Task-masters to hard Labour without intermission And therefore when God brought them out of that Slavery he renewed his Command for the observation of the Sabbath with this addition in memory of their Deliverance from the Egyptian Bondage that they should rest from all manner of Labour upon that day Both these Reasons are given by Moses why God commanded it to be observed in memory of the Creation in six days XX Exod. 11. and in memory of their deliverance from the Egyptian Bondage V Deut. 15. Bake that which you will bake to day c. The words to day are not in the Hebrew but are necessary to make the sense plain because they were enjoyned on this day to prepare or make ready all things against the next v. 5. And that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept till the morning From which words some have inferred that there was no prohibition of baking and seething on the Sabbath but the contrary rather is here supposed See Dr. Heylin in his History of the Sabbath Part. I. p. 100. But I do not see how this consists with the further explication of this matter in XXXV Exod. 3. where they are forbidden to kindle a Fire upon this day Unless any one will say that for the present they might do it but shortly after were prohibited which is not at all likely For the plain meaning is that if they would make any baked Meats or boiled with the Manna they must do it upon the sixth day though what they did not then bake nor boil they might safely keep till the next day and it should not breed Worms nor stink But what they so kept was to be eaten without baking or boiling as it well might being a food prepared in Heaven for their eating without any need of further Art And therefore called Bread even when they gathered it v. 22. Ver. 24. And they laid it up until the morning c. Without any Preparation of it by baking or boiling and it kept the whole seventh day without any putrefaction Ver. 25. And Moses said Eat that to day Simple as it is without baking or boiling For to day is a Sabbath unto the LORD The frequent repetition of this in this Chapter v. 23. and again v. 29 30. hath led the Jews into this mistake that the Sabbath was not ordained by God till they came out of Egypt directly contrary to what we read in the Second of Genesis that it was instituted from the beginning And therefore Moses here only gives an account why this Precept was renewed at their coming out of Egypt when there was a new Religious observation added to it which was not necessary before viz. resting wholly from all manner of work There is an excellent Discourse on this Subject in a late Learned Author J. Wagensiel in his Confutation of R. Lipman's Carmen Memoriale p. 559 c. who well observes that this Precept having a peculiar respect to the Jews we are not bound to observe the rest of the Sabbath with such strictness as they did but only as the Patriarchs did before the giving of the Law p. 564. As for the translation of the day from the seventh to the first day of the Week it is impossible for the Jews to prove that the day they observe is the seventh from the Creation And besides that the whole World cannot be tied to the circumstance of time precisely for in some parts of it the Sabbath will fall eighteen hours later than in Palestine as he evidently shows p. 572 c. To day you shall not find it in the field This Moses said to them as Abarbinel thinks in the Evening of the Sabbath which was in effect a Prohibition to them not to go out to gather it on that day Ver. 26. Six days ye shall gather it c. The same Author thinks this is repeated to signifie that as long as they continued in the Wilderness they should gather it six days in a Week as they did now but never find any on the seventh There shall be none As you rest saith he from doing any thing about the Manna so God will cease from sending it unto you Upon which he makes this pious reflection That in this World we must work for our Souls if we would be happy in the next World which is an intire Sabbath or Rest For he that labours in the Evening of the Sabbath shall eat on the Sabbath To the same purpose Origen long before him Hom. VII in Exod. Ver. 27. There went out some of the people on the seventh day to gather c. The same wicked disposition remained in them which made them on other days keep it till next Morning v. 19 20. Ver. 28. And the LORD said unto Moses how long refuse ye to keep my Commandments c. These chiding words are full of indignation and yet signifie the long-suffering Patience of God with an untoward Generation Abarbinel expounds this passage as if upon this occasion he upbraided them with all their other Transgressions saying You kickt against me at the Red Sea and believed not my words at Marah also you murmured and uttered very discontented words at Elim Nay after I had given you Manna you violated my Precept in reserving it till the next Morning And now you break my Sabbath what hope is there that you will observe any of my Laws Refuse to keep my Commandments and my Laws He speaks thus say some of the Jews because that in which they now offended is a thing upon which the whole Law all his Commandments depend So the same Abarbinel Because the Sabbath instructed them in the Creation of the World upon which all the Law depends therefore he saith My Commandments and my Laws Ver. 29. See Consider For that the LORD hath given you the
a secret inspiration how to determine every Cause Ver. 17. The thing that thou dost is not good Neither profitable for thy self nor for the People as it follows in the next Verse Ver. 18. Thou wilt surely wear away Decay apace and without remedy as the Phrase in the Hebrew signifies Both thou and the People that is with thee Such tedious Attendance will impair them also as well as thy self For this thing is too heavy for thee c. Too much for one Man to undergo Ver. 19. Hearken now unto my voice Be advised by me I will give thee counsel and God shall be with thee Though I am no Israelite I will take upon me to be thy Counsellor and I doubt not God will show my Advice to be good by the good Success which will attend it Be thou for the People to Godward that thou mayst bring the Causes unto God Appoint others to hear Causes and do thou give thy self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Worship and Service of God alone as Josepus expounds it L. III. Antiq. c. 3. or as Ruffinus glosses reserve thy self only to the Ministry of God to attend that is upon him and know his mind Which if it be the sense must be understood with this Exception only in greater Causes as it follows afterward which he was to hear himself And that may well be the meaning of these words When the People bring any matter to thee which is too hard for other Judges to determine v. 22. do thou if need be carry it to God that he may resolve thee Not that he was alway to consult the Oracle for he knew in most Causes the sense of God's Law but in some it might be necessary to have a particular direction from Heaven As in XV Numb 34 35. XXVII 5 c. Ver. 20. And thou shalt teach them Ordinances and Laws How these two differ is not certain but Ordinances are commonly taken to concern matter of Religion and Laws civil matters of Justice and Charity In both which he was if the Case required it to bring it to God and then to report to the People what his Resolution was about it And shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk How to behave themselves towards God And the work that they must do How to behave themselves one towards another Ver. 20. Moreover Now in order to this Thou shalt provide out of all the People Look out such Men as are qualified according to the following Directions Which he did in this manner as he himself relates I Deut. 13. where he saith to the People take ye wise and understanding men c. In the Hebrew it is give ye i. e. present to me such Men as you think sit for this office And then it follows I will make them Rulers over you They chose them and then he approved them and gave them authority Or perhaps they presented a good many whom they thought qualified and out of them he appointed such as he judged most meet And thus he saith again v. 15. So I took the chief of the Tribes c. See Mr. Selden L. I. de Synedr c. 15. p. 632. Able men Men able to endure labour or Men who are not needy but rich and wealthy or Men of Parts or Men of Courage for it may refer to any of these especially the last such as did not fear potent Persons but God alone as it here follows Such as fear God Men truly Religious who would fear to offend God by doing Injustice but not fear to offend Men by doing Right Men of Truth Honest upright Men whose love to Truth would make them sift it out by hearing both sides patiently with impartial attention and unbiassed affection Hating Covetousness Not greedy of Money but abhorring Bribes and all base ways of Gain Which as Demosthenes says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 makes Judges besides themselves and no better than mad For all these good qualities they were to be eminent and noted among the People as Moses his words import I Deut. 13. where he bids them present to him not only wise men and understanding but also known among their Tribes generally accounted Men of Understanding and Integrity And place such over them to be Rulers of Thousands c. The Hebrew words are such that it cannot be determined by them whether this relate to the number of Rulers or of People that were to be ruled by them as Mr. Selden observes and discourses upon it very largely in the sore-mentioned place L. I. de Synedr c. 15. p. 615. Where he shows that Decem vir for instance was not only one set over ten but one of the ten Judges of which a Court consisted and so the rest may be interpreted But the most ancient and most received Sense is that he doth not speak of the Number of Judges for what a strange Court would that be in which there was a Thousand Judges but of the People of whose Causes they were to take cognizance And it is commonly thought also there was but one Ruler over a Thousand Families or Men it is uncertain which and so of the rest though the words may import more than one in each of these Judicatures whether greater or smaller The Talmudists make a prodigious number of Judges of each sort but it is most rational to think that Jethro's meaning was That he should constitute greater and lesser Judicatures according to the Division of their several Tribes into Thousands Hundreds Fifties and Tens and a competent number of Persons appointed to be Judges in these greater or lesser Courts For that their Tribes were divided into Thousands for instance is apparent from several places XXII Josh 14. VI Judg. 15. where Gideon saith my Family in the Hebrew it is my Thousand is the meanest in Israel 1 Chron. XII 20. V Mic. 2. These Thousands Corn. Bertramus takes to be Families whom the Hebrew call Houses which were divided into so many Heads as they call them as the Tribes were into Families And of these he thinks Jethro advises him to make such Rulers as are here mentioned of several degrees But others particularly Herman Conringius de Republ. Hebr. Sect. 19. think we are to understand only Rulers over a thousand Men not Families as it is certain in Military Affairs the Captains of thousands were only of a thousand Soldiers XXXI Numb 14. Rulers of hundreds Rulers of fifties and Rulers of tens There were four orders of these Rulers but whether there was a subordination of the lower order to the higher as in Armies there is of the Captain to the Colonel as we now speak and the Inferiors to him I cannot determine Ver. 22. And let them judge the People at all Seasons Sit every day some or other of them in their several Districts See v. 26. Every great matter they shall bring to thee Not if they were able to determine it themselves For they had power to hear all Causes but
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
the Judge is whom we go about to deceive Large Commentaries on these Commandments are not to be expected which may be found in many Authors commonly known Ver. 17. Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours house c. Here is forbidden so much as the designing any Mischief to others in any of the things forementioned For as all Injuries in word or deed are prohibited in the IV. preceding Commandments So in this he prohibits those which are only in the heart or counsels of Men but never come to light And in the enumeration of the things they were not to covet he begins first with that which was last mentioned and so backard to the other For he saith Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours House by designing to bear false witness or to commit theft And then follows thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Wife by intending to abuse her if opportunity served nor his Man-servant nor his Maid-servant c. which are his principal Goods He saith nothing of thirsting after his Life which is supposed to be unlawful because less than that is forbidden Menander hath something like this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do not so much as covet the thred of a Needle for God sees thee being intimately present with thee See more in Grotius his Prolegomena in Excerpta ex Stobaeo Ver. 18. And all the People saw the Thundrings c. Seing being the principal Sense it is frequently put for the rest and this passage may be translated they sensibly perceived c. See XLII Gen. 1. and Drusius's Quaestiones Hebr. L. I. c. 10. The Thundrings and the Lightnings XIX 16. And the noise of the Trumpet Which ceased while God spake the X. Words to them but now began again together with Thunders and Lightnings when they were ended For as they were introduced in a most Majestick manner to raise their attention and strike an awe into them so they were closed that they might be the more sensible of the dreadfulness of that Majesty who spake to them and that they might have a greater reverence to his Law They removed and stood afar off They were at the bottom of the Mount while God spake to them but now started back for fear those Flames they saw upon the Mountain V Deut. 25. and perhaps flashed from thence in a terrible manner should devour them How far they removed we know not some think to the place where they were incamped before this glorious Appearance out of which Moses brought them to meet with God XIX 2 17. Ver. 19. And they said unto Moses By the Heads of their Tribes and their Elders V Deut. 23. who came from the People to Moses while he remained still in his place For he saith there they came near unto him when they spake these words which signifies they were at some distance before Speak thou with us and we will hear c. They desire that what God had farther to command them He would be pleased to acquaint Moses with it and they would receive it as his own words but should die with fear if they heard him speak any more with his own Voice This is more largely related V Deut. 24 25 c. and accordingly God afterward communicated to Moses alone the rest of his Laws both concerning Religion and Civil Government Ver. 20. And Moses said unto the People He bad the Elders return this Answer to the People that sent them Fear not Be not afraid of your lives No hurt shall come to you For God is come to prove you God intends by this dreadful Appearance to discover unto your selves and others whether you will be such as you pretend XIX 8. And that his fear may be before your face And that you may have an awful sense of him in your Mind by having before your eyes continually the Glory of his Majesty of which you were lately sensible v. 18. That you sin not Let this be your only fear not to offend God by disobeying his Commands Ver. 21. And the People stood afar off In their Tents within their Camp For God commanded him to bid the Elders after this Discourse to go to their Tents from whence they came where I suppose the rest of the People were V Deut. 30. But he bad Moses stay with him and he would as they desired tell him all the rest of the things which he intended to enjoyn them v. 31. And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was Who called him to him again as he had done before XIX 20. There is a curious Observation in Pirke Elieser that the Hebrew word here is not Nogesh he approached or drew near as we trunslate it but Niggesh he was drawn near The Angel Gabriel or Michael as he fancies coming and taking him by the hand and leading him up to God cap. 41. But this signifies rather that he did not go up of his own accord but was called by God to draw near to his Divine Majesty Which he did the next day upon the seventh day of Sivan and received LVII Laws besides the X. which God himself delivered partly Civil and partly Religious which were Explications of the Decalogue Ver. 22. And the LORD said unto Moses When they were together in the thick Cloud before mentioned Thus thou shalt say unto the Children of Israel When thou goest down again to them Ye have seen that I have talked with you from Heaven The apprehension of one sense as Maimonides phrases it More Nevoch P. I. c. 46. is usually in Scripture put for the apprehension of another As See the word of the LORD II Jer. 31. that is hear it or mark it diligently Or the meaning here may be You saw i. e. perceived by the Thundrings and Lightnings and all the rest of the Tokens of a Majestatick Presence that it was I who spake from above Ver. 23. Ye shall not make with me The Hebrew Writers here make a pause or full stop as if it were a compleat Sentence And the meaning is explained in the Talmud to be Ye shall not make the Similitude of the Ministers that minister before me above as the Sun the Moon the Stars or the Angels Ger. Bab. upon Avoda Zura And so Maimonides upon the same Subject It is unlawful to form the Images of the Sun the Moon the Stars the Celestial Signs or Angels according to that which is written Ye shall not make with me i. e. nothing like the Ministers that minister to me above See Selden L. II. de Jure N. G. c. 6. p. 198. But if we joyn these with the following words the sense is the same that as they acknowledged no other Gods but him so they should not make any Image to represent him To inforce which the word make is repeated in the end of the Verse whereby greater efficacy is added to the Command Gods of silver or gods of gold shall ye not make unto you He gives this
See XX Lev. 9. And thus far the Athenians went in this matter that by their Law a Son was disinherited who reproached his Father And if the Father did not prosecute such a Son he himself became infamous So Sopater ad Hermogenem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the same Law also if he struck his Father both his hands were to be cut off as we read in Heraclides Ponticus in Allegor Homen and in Quimillian Declam CCCLXXII Qui patrem pulsaverit manus ei incidantur And by another Law he was to be stoned to death as the Author of Problemata Rhetor. tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that without any formal Process against him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ver. 18. And if men strive together Fall out and quarrel And one smite another So that from words they proceed to blows With a Stone c. Men usually in their anger take up any thing that is next at hand to throw at him against whom they are inraged or finding nothing smite them with their fists And he die not but keepeth his bed Sometimes the blow falls in such a place that sudden Death follows or such a Wound or Bruise is given as confines a Man to his Bed Ver. 19. If he rise again and walk abroad c. If a Man recovered so far as to get up and walk abroad after the stroke it was presumed though he died not long after it was by his negligence or something else not of the Blow he received And upon the hearing of the Cause the Judges were to acquit the Man that gave the blow i. e. he was not to die for it Only The Hebrew particle Rak signifies but or truly as well as only and here expresses that the Man who gave the blow should not escape all punishment but suffer something for the hurt he had done Yet if we take it to signifie only the sense is not much altered for the meaning is as Constant L'Empereur observes in Bava kama cap. 8. sect 1. by this word to exclude Death but not other Punishment in his Purse He shall pay for the loss of his time c. The Jews say in Bava kama cap. 8. sect 1. that satisfaction was to be given him for the loss he had sustained in five things for the hurt in his Body the loss of his Time the Pain he had indured the Charge of Physician or Chyrurgeon and the Disgrace all which they there indeavour to prove out of the Scripture Two of them are plainly here The first of which the Doctors upon the Misna consider with great Nicety as L'Empereur observes upon the fore-named Treatise some Men being able to earn more by their Labours than others and the disability the stroke brought upon them being more or less of a larger or shorter continuance with respect to all which a proportionable Compensation was made to them And shall cause him to be throughly healed Here they also distinguish between the Cure of the Wound Bruise or Swelling caused by the stroke and of any other breaking out that he chanced to have at the same time He was bound to pay for the Cure of the former but not of the latter And if after a Man was cured he fell ill again he that struck him was not bound to take care of his Cure The same Provision is made in the Civil Law as L'Empereur notes which perfectly agrees with this Constitution of Moses Judex computat mercedes medicis praestitas caeteráque impendia quae in curatione facta sunt Praeterea operas quibus caruit aut cariturus est ob id quod inutilis factus est According to Plato's Laws he that wounded another in his Anger if the Wound was curable was to pay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 double to the Damage the wounded Man sustained thereby If it was incurable he was to pay fourfold and so he was to do likewise if it were curable but left a remarkable Scar. If the Wound was given involuntarily he was to pay only simple Damages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For no Law-giver is able to govern Chance L. IX de Leg. p. 878 879. Ver. 20. If a man smite his servant c. A Slave who was not an Israelite but a Gentile He shall surely be punished With Death say the Hebrew Doctors in Selden L. IV. de Jure N. G. c. 1. p. 463. if the Servant died while he was beating him For that is meant by dying under his hand But it seems more likely to me that he was to be punished for his Cruelty as the Judge who examined the Fact thought meet for his smiting with a Rod not with a Sword was a sign he intended only to correct him not to kill him And besides no Man could be thought to be willing to lose his own Goods as such Servants were Ver. 21. Notwithstanding if he continue a day or two A day and a night as the Hebrew Doctors interpret it He shall not be punished Because it might be presumed he did not die of those strokes He is his money His Death was a loss to his Master who therefore might well be judged not to have any intention to kill him and was sufficiently punished by losing the benefit of his Service Ver. 22. If men strive and hurt a woman with child Who interposed between the contending Parties or came perhaps to help her Husband So that her fruit depart from her She Miscarry And yet no mischief follow She do not die as the Hebrew Doctors expound it See Selden L. IV. de Jure N. G. c. 1. p. 461. He shall be surely punished according as the womans husband will lay upon him Her Husband may require a Compensation both for the loss of his Child and the hurt or grief of his Wife Yet he was not to be Judge in his own Case but it was to be brought before the Publique Judges as it here follows And he shall pay as the Judges determine Who considered in their Decree what Damage was done which was estimated by the hurt his Wife received in her Body and by the lessening of her price if she were a Slave and might be sold Unto which several other Mulcts were added to be given to the Woman her self as Mr. Selden observes in the place above-named Ver. 23. And if any mischief follow If the Woman did die Thou shalt give life for life In the Interpretation of this saith Jarchi our Masters differ For some by Life understand that which is properly so called or the Person himself so that it should signifie being put to death But others understand by it a pecuniary Mulct that so much Money should be paid to the Heirs as the Person killed might have been sold for The LXX carry it to quite another sense which is that if a Woman Miscarry and the Child was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not yet formed and fashioned that the Man who occasioned the Miscarriage was to pay a Fine But
many Exceptions For they would have him make good what was torn by one Wolf alone because they think he might have been able to defend the Cattle against one though not against many If also he put the Oxen or Sheep into a Pasture wont to be infested with wild Beasts or Thieves or if he did not call in the help of his Neighbours c. in these and such like cases he was to make good that which was torn as Maimonides reports their Judgment See Bochart Hierozoic P. I. L. II. c. 44. Ver. 14. If a man borrow ought of his neighbour and it be hurt or die This the Hebrew Doctors think concerns such things as were lent to another out of kindness without any consideration for the use of them About which if there arose any controversie by reason of some maim that it received or its death it was to be determined by the Rule following The owner thereof being not with it he shall surely make it good These words and those in the beginning of the 15th Verse but if the owner be with it he shall not make it good seem to signifie that if the Owner was with the thing that was lent at the time of its hurt or death it was to be presumed he would do his best to preserve it and see it was not ill used and so must bear the loss But if he was not present at that time then the contrary was presumed that the borrower was in fault and therefore bound to make it good Which though it may seem hard was but necessary to make Men careful and do their best to preserve what was lent them in pure kindness R. Levi of Barcelona Praecept LVI interprets it quite another way in this manner That if the Owner was with it at the time it was borrowed though not present at the time of its hurt or death the borrower was free but if the Owner was present at the time of the hurt or death but not at the time of lending he was bound to make it good For the matter saith he depends upon the beginning of it Ver. 15. If it be an hired thing it came for his hire Some make the Hebrew word Sachir which we translate hired thing to relate unto the Person If he be a Mercenary i. e. the Man who lends agrees to let the borrower have it at a certain price c. But this is the same in effect with the sense of our Translation which makes this word relate to the thing it self which if it were borrowed with a Condition to pay so much for the use of it as the Lender demanded then the Man who hired it was not bound to make it good whether the Owner were present or not when it was hurt or died But the Owner was to run the hazard because of the hire which he received for the use of the thing Ver. 16. If a man intice a maid that is not betrothed and lie with her Whosoever lay with such a Maid in the City was thought to have been an inticer only unless Witnesses came and proved that he forced her because it might be well supposed her Voice would have been heard if she had cried out upon the Force in the City But if he lay with her in the Field where no Body could hear it was presumed to be a Rape Thus Maimonides and other Hebrew Doctors He shall surely endow her to be his wife This Law doth not say as the Old Translation hath it he shall ondow her and take her to be his Wife but only endow her to be his Wife that is give her such a Dowry that she might be his lawful Wife So the same Hebrew Doctors understand it who will not have it to be a Command that he should marry her though that was best but only that he should make Satisfaction for taking away her Virginity which was by paying so much in the nature of a Dowry as would render her fit to be his Wife if both of them could agree Yet so that if either he or she or her Father refused for it was in the power of any of these as they say to hinder the Marriage he paid this Mulct as the Dowry of a Virgin to her Father See Selden's Vxor Hebr. L. I. c. 16. There is another Law of this Nature XXII Deut. 28 29. but it speaks of a Virgin deflowred by force of which see there Ver. 17. If her father uiterly refuse to give her unto him Here is mention made only of the Father not of the Man that deflowred her who one would think should have been bound to marry her if she and her Father pleased And so Josephus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But if the Father of the Damosel did not like to give her to him he was to pay as here is directed He shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins That is saith Josephus fifty shekels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Satisfaction for her Reproach L. IV. Archaeol c. 8. Ver. 18. Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live This Law about Witches follows the other about Virgins because Witches among other practises helpt by â—vil Arts to allure and entice silly Virgins to consent to Mens Solicitations Epiphanius reports from one that saw it such a Magical Operation used by a Jew to procure the Love of a Christian Woman who was preserved from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power of his Witcheraft by the Seal of Christ as he calls the Sign of the Cross wherewith she fortified her self at the first attempt made upon her Haeres XXX n. 7 8. But such wicked Wretches did a world of other Mischief and therefore were to be put to death whether they were Men or Women The Scripture indeed mentions a Witch only saith the Gemara of the Sanhedrim c. 7. n. 10. because for the most part they were Women who were addicted to Magick So Maimonides also because the greater part of Evil Works are performed by Women therefore the Law saith Thou shalt not suffer MECHAS SHEPHA a Witch to live P. III. c. 37. More Nevochim Where he discourses of the sorts of Witchcraft and in general affirms that there were no Magical Works performed without respect to the Stars For such People held that every Plant had its Star and so had every Animal and all Metals For Example they said Pluck such a Leaf or such an Herb when the Sun or any other Planet is in such a place let such a Metal be melted under such a Constellation or such a Constitution of the Moon and then say such and such words and let a Fume be made with such Herbs or Leaves and that in such or such a form and then this or that will follow This was their Doctrine and such Works as these were the peculiar worship of the Stars who were delighted they fancied with such Actions Words or Fumes and for the sake of them would do
against him But many of the Jews say that they should not Condemn one whom they thought guilty if he was cast only by one Voice If there were a majority of two then indeed they say a Judge was bound to joyn with them See Mr. Selden L. II. de Synedr c. 5. p. 229. and c. 6. p. 259. where he shows they take the word evil in this place to signifie the evil of punishment See also cap. 12. p. 525. But this seems to be only a Subtilty Their Opinion is more reasonable who by the Hebrew word Rabbim here understand not a multitude but great and potent Men to whom a Judge was not to have respect in Judgment no more than to a poor Man who v. 3. is opposed to these Men of might But what follows I think will better interpret this Neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest Judgment This is interpreted by Maimonides to signifie That no Judge was to give his Sentence in a Capital Cause either for Absolving or Condemning according to the Opinion of the rest if he were not able to deliver any Opinion of his own See Mr. Selden L. II. de Synedr c. 13. p. 529. Other fancies they have about the word Rabbim in this Clause of the Verse which he notes there c. 9. p. 421. But the sense I think will be most plain and easie if we take Rabbim in the first part of the Verse as we do for the Multitude and in this latter part for the great and potent or ruling Men who are generally attended by a Multitude And expound the whole thus That the Judges were not to be deterred either by the People or by mighty Men to pronounce a false Judgment This agrees with what follows and with XIX Lev. 15. Ver. 3. Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause So as to give a wrong Judgment in his favour The word we translate countenance in Hebrew tehedar signifies to adorn or honour and so we translate it XIX Lev. 15. And so it may be translated here Thou shalt not adorn or set off a poor Man's Cause with fine words and plausible colours to make it look better than it is See I Deut. 16 17. Ver. 4. If thou meet thy enemies ox or ass going astray thou shalt surely bring it back to him again The Samaritan Copy adds after ox or ass or any other beast And Moses himself extends it to all sorts of Goods that are lost XXII Deut. 3. But the Jewish Doctors as R. Levi of Barcelona confesses restrain the word Enemy to an Israelite as if they thought not themselves bound to any such kindness for one of another Nation This perhaps they gathered from XXII Deut. 1 2. where instead of the word Enemy we find Moses uses the word Brother But this should have taught them to look upon all Men even Enemies as Brethren having the same common Original and bearing the Image of the same God This Verse may be connected with the foregoing in this manner If you be inclined to show pity do it in such Instances as these but not in Judgment Ver. 5. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden His Ass is only mention'd but Oxen and other such like Creatures are intended as appears from the former Verse Yet this likewise the hard-hearted Jewish Doctors would have belong only to an Israelite who hated them And they put several Cases upon this Law As what if the Beast be a Gentile's and the Burden belong to an Israelite or on the contrary what is to be done And if they meet with two Beasts belonging both to Israelites and labouring under Burdens but one the Beast of a Friend the other of an Enemy which is he bound to help In which they resolve that he is by this Precept to have regard to the Beast of his Enemy that he may subdue his evil Affection which would perswade him otherways How far also the word see extends is a question among them that is how far they were to go out of their way to lend their help with such like Niceties which I shall not trouble the Reader withal And wouldst forbear to help him thou shalt surely help with him The sense is clear enough but the construction of the words in the Hebrew is not so plain For the word Azab which we translate help signifies to leave or forsake and so the Chaldee here interprets it Thou shalt in that moment dismiss or forsake thy enmity to him and go and help him And L. de Dieu to the same purpose Rather than leave him under his Burden quit thine enmity to him c. A great many other ways there are to make out the Grammar of the Hebrew words but Bochart thinks all in vain unless instead of the Particle lo with a Vau we admit it with an Aleph and then they run clearly in the Hebrew in this manner Thou shalt cease or abstain from leaving him i. e. not follow thy own ill inclinations to pass by him leaving thou shalt not leave him i. e. by no means leave him viz. to raise up his Beast himself as if it nothing concerned thee Or Thou shalt abstain from leaving it i. e. the Ass labouring under his Burden I say thou shalt by no means leave it The same thing is repeated because it is a Command so opposite to Mens depraved Affections and therefore was fit to be inculcated that they might not lightly pass it over See Hierozoio P. I. L. II. c. 40. p. 399. Ver. 6. Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause As they might not favour a Man because he was poor v. 3. so much less might they wrong him or not do him right because he wanted Money to prosecute it There seems to be an Emphasis as Conradus Pellicanus observes in the word thy poor importing that they had such a relation to them that they ought to be as much concerned for them as any other Member of their Body But the Jews fancying this to be sufficiently included in the Precept before mentioned v. 3. understand here by the poor a bad man who is pauper praeceptorum non facultatum one that wants Vertue not Money To whom a Judge might not say He was a wicked Fellow and Condemn him without any further Examination of his Cause for it belongs to God saith the same R. Levi to execute Judgment upon the ungodly and not to the Judges Ver. 7. Keep thee far from a false matter i. e. From a false Judgment for he seems to speak to the Judges and neither admit that which is false nor pronounce it And the innocent and righteous slay thou not That is saith the before-named R. Levi Barzel beware carefully lest thou takest away the Life of him that may be innocent of that whereof he is accused And therefore he saith the Judges were to Condemn no Man but by the Testimony
was put upon the Priest's head The High Priest in like manner having put on his Breeches Coat and Girdle which were common to all Priests was clothed with his Robe and next with the Ephod and Breast-plate which were inseparable and last of all with his Mitre and the golden Crown To which order Nature it self directed them the inward Garments being always put on before the outward Now as to these Miknese which we truly render Breeches the Matter of them was Linen as we are here informed and not ordinary Linen but that which the Hebrews call Schesch which was fine Linen and more than that they were of twined or six-threded Linen as we read XXXIX 28. They were made with great Art being woven of one piece and not sewed together as Maimonides tells us The Form of them was like our Breeches or Drawers which may be the reason why Moses here uses a word of the dual Number because they had two parts which covered each Thigh distinctly To cover their nakedness This was opposed as Maimonides thinks to the idolatrous Worship of Peor which if we may believe him was so beastly that it was performed by discovery of their Nakedness More Nevoch Part. III. c. 45. From the Loins even to the Thighs they shall reach They were bound about the Loins with Strings which ran through the top of them that they might be drawn straiter or looser as they pleased and came down the Thighs as far as to their Knees There were some Breeches anciently which covered the Leggs also and came down to the Feet such as Sailers use in cold Countries but these did not come down so low the intention of them being only to cover those Parts as it goes before which ought not to be exposed For though they had a Coat over their whole Body yet that being loose and wide below by some accident or other those Parts might have been seen which ought to be secret if that had not been prevented by these Drawers which so covered the lower Parts that nothing could possibly be seen For in this they differed from our Drawers that they had no opening either behind or before Some think before this time there were no such thing as Breeches in use among the Hebrews nor after this among any other Men but the Priests in their Ministration But in latter Ages they came in use as appears from III Dan. 21. Ver. 43. And they shall be upon Aaron and upon his sons when they come in unto the Tabernacle or when they come near unto the Altar to minister in the holy place They could not be permitted so much as to appear in the Tabernacle much less to minister especially in the Holy Place without their holy Vestments Which they wore there only but in no other place for at home or abroad or in the Sanhedrim and all other places out of the Temple they wore common Garments such as other Men did Insomuch that St. Paul could not distinguish the High Priest when he sate in the Court by his Habit from other Judges XXIII Acts 5. And accordingly we read XLII Ezek. 14. XLIV 17 18 19. an express Precept for putting off the Priests Garments and laying them up in the Chambers appointed for that purpose when they went out of the Court where they ministred The High Priest as Maimonides informs us had a Chamber or Vestry peculiar to himself where his Garments were laid up when he put them off as the Robes of Kings are in their Wardrobe Of this one cannot reasonably doubt that they being not only precious but sacred things were kept safe in the Temple which was an holy place And so were the Garments of the Inferiour Priests as we may learn from Ezra and Nehemiah who among other things put into the Treasury mention a certain number of Priests Garments II Ezra 69. VII Nehem. 70. In their Vestries also there were peculiar Chests where every sort of Vestment were kept by themselves All the Breeches for instance which had this Inscription Miknese i. e. Breeches In like manner all the Coats and the Bonnets had two distinct Chests with this Inscription Ketonoth and Migbaoth and so had the rest as we are told in the Misna Tamid c. 5. But while they were in the Temple they might keep on their holy Garments only not sleep in them there even at those hours when they did not minister Which this Text seems to suppose when it saith they shall be upon them when they come into the Tabernacle as well as when they come near unto the Altar to minister Thus the Talmudists In the Temple they might keep on their Garments whether in the time of their Ministration or out of it But this they understand only of their Breeches their Coat and Bonnet for their Girdle they were bound to lay aside as soon as they had done Ministring That they bear not iniquity and die That God do not punish them with Death for being so prophane as to appear before him without their holy Garments which he appointed to preserve his Service from contempt It shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him That is as long as there shall be any Priests of the Order of Aaron they shall appear before God in these Garments But that Priesthood being abolished by the true eternal Priesthood of Christ there is no longer any use of them no more than of the Sacrifices those Priests offered which are compleated in the Sacrifice of Christ As for the Jewish sense of these words it is manifest that it hath been long confuted there having been no Priesthood nor holy Garments nor Sacrifices no nor Temple among them for above Sixteen hundred years Nay before the coming of our Saviour some of the Priestly Ornaments and those the chief of all were gone viz. the Vrim and the Thummim in the Breast-plate which they generally confess were not in the second Temple and it may be a question whether they continued to the end of the first But the truth is there was the Breast-plate and the Ephod and consequently the Vrim and Thummim as to its Matter and Form though it had lost its use there being no Answers from God given by it and accordingly all the rest of the Priestly Garments remained as long as there was any Priesthood which is the full sense of these words a statute for ever to him and his seed after him CHAP. XXIX Verse 1. AND this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them Having ordered Aaron and his Sons to be set apart to attend upon him in his House as his Ministers he now directs how they should be hallowed or made holy that is separated to his Service in the Priests Office To minister unto me in the Priests Office This was the design of their Separation from other Men as was often said before XXVIII 1 3 4 41 43. Take one young bullock and two rams without
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
the performance of both How thee two Tables of stone like unto the first and I will write upon these Tables the words that were in the first Tables which thou brakest Every attentive Reader must needs observe the difference between the first Tables which Moses brake and those which he is now ordered to prepare For God did not only write his Laws with his own finger upon the first Tables but the Tables themselves also were the work of God XXXII 16. Whereas in these as Greg. Nyssen well expresses it de Vita Mosis p. 183. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The writing indeed was by the Divine Power but the matter of them framed by the hand of Moses So that at the same time God shewed he was reconciled he put them in mind that he had been offended and restored them to his favour with some abatement Ver. 2. And be ready in the morning On the XVIII day of July See XXXII 30. And come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai From whence God spake to the Israelites V Deut. 4 c. those very words which he intended to write upon the Tables He orders him to come up in the morning that all the People might see him ascend and carry the Tables with him And present thy self there to me in the top of the Mount Where the Divine Majesty appeared before in its Glory and where Moses stayed with him forty days and forty nights XIX 26. XXIV 17 18. Ver. 3. And no man shall come up with thee The same Precept is renewed which was given at his first ascent XXIV 1 2. Neither let any man be seen throughout the Mount XIX 12 21 c. Neither let the Flocks nor Herds feed before the Mount He seems to require their removal to such a distance that they should not be within view of the Divine Majesty By which means the People were naturally led to stand in greater awe of God and there was the less danger of any Beasts touching the Mount XIX 13. Ver. 4. And Moses hewed two Tables of stone c. These and the following words only declare that he did as God bad him v. 1 2. And took in his hand the two Tables of stone These he carried with him but the first Tables were given him when he came there XXIV 12. They seem to have been thin being no heavier than that he could carry them in one hand Ver. 5. And the LORD The SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty called also the Glory of the LORD Descended in the Cloud Wherein it had been wont to appear from the beginning of their deliverance out of Egypt and had lately appeared to Moses in the Tabernacle XXXIII 9. when the Cloudy Pillar descended and stood at the door of it while the LORD talked with Moses there And it seems when that was done the Glory of the LORD in the Cloud went up again towards Heaven and now came down upon this occasion And stood with him there The Cloudy Pillar wherein the Glory of the LORD was rested upon the top of the Mount where Moses now was v. 2. And proclaimed the Name of the LORD Gave him notice of his Presence as he had promised XXXIII 19. and is more fully expressed in the next Verse Ver. 6. And the LORD passed by before him Which Onkelos translates the LORD made his Majesty to pass before him Which Exposition Maimonides acknowledges to be right and confirmed by the Scripture it self when it saith XXXIII 22. While my Glory passeth by c. which he confesses signifies not the Divine Essence it self but some created Splendour which no Eye was able to behold More Nevoch P. I. c. 21. And proclaimed As the Glory of the LORD passed by he heard a Voice proclaiming this Description of the Divine Nature The LORD Some joyn the next word to this as if the Voice said the LORD the LORD the more to awaken his Attention to mind what he heard See XXXIII 19. And this Name of his signifies his Self-Existence and his absolute Dominion over all Creatures which received their being from him See VI. 3. God The Hebrew word El signifies Strong and Mighty in one word his Irresistible Power Job IX 4. Merciful The word Rachum signifies that which we call tender Mercies such as Parents have to their Children when their Bowels yern towards them And gracious We call that Chaninah Grace or Favour saith Maimonides which we bestow upon any Man to whom we owe nothing XXXIII Gen. 5 11. And therefore God is here called Chanum Gracious with respect to those whom he created preserves and governs but is not obliged by any right to these things as his words are More Nevoch P. I. cap. 54. Long-suffering So slow to Anger that he doth not presently punish those that offend him but bears long with them Abundant in goodness The Hebrew word Chesed which we translate Goodness signifies as Maimonides saith More Nevoch P. III. cap. the excess and highest degree of any thing whatsoever it be but especially the greatest Benignity And therefore with the addition of rabh abundant denotes long continued Kindness as is more fully declared in the next Verse And truth Most faithful and constant to his Promises which he stedfastly keeps throughout all Generations The word abundant refers both to this and to his Benignity CXLVI Psal 6. Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands The same word Chesed which before we translated Goodness we here translate Mercy and the Hebrews observing the â—etter Nun to be greater in the word Notzer keeping than is usual fancy that it denotes the immense Treasures of the Divine Bounty But the word thousands fully explains how abundant his Mercy is Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin Here are three words to signifie all sorts of Offences which he passes by tell Men grow intollerably wicked But some distinguish them by making Iniquity signifie Offences against Men and Transgressions Offences against God himself and Sin all the Errours Childishnesses and Follies which Men are guilty of in the Conduct of themselves But they may as well signifie the Offences which were committed against the Moral Ceremonial and Political Laws And that will by no means clear the guilty These words according to Maimonides belong still to the loving kindness of God as all the foregoing do signifying that when he doth punish he will not utterly destroy and make desolate For so the Hebrew words Nakkeh lo Jenakkeh he thinks are to be litterally rendered in extirpating he will not extirpate as the word Nakah he observes is used III Isaiah 26. She shall sit desolate on the Earth And to the same sense these words are expounded by many Modern Interpreters particularly Lud. de Dieu When he empties he will not empty or make quite desolate For the Maxim of the Hebrew is as Maimonides there observes More Nevoch P. I. c. 54. that the property of Goodness far excels that of Severity For here being thirteen Properties of God mentioned I can