Prince of the Tribe of Judah VI. 23. For it is but a fancy of R. Solomon's that he is therefore called the Levite because the Levitical Order should have proceeded from him and the Priesthood been entailed on Moses his Family but because of Moses his backwardness to serve God in this present Imployment he in anger quite changed his Intention and advanced Aaron to the Priesthood I know that he can speak well Is Eloquent and can deliver his Mind in fluent words There are two things which compleat a Commander as Pericles speaks in Theucydides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wisdom and Eloquence which do not often meet in one Person but God is pleased to distribute these Gifts as he did to these two Brethren So Polydamas in Homer tells Hector God's way is not to give all Accomplishments to one Man but some to one and some to others Iliad IV. v. 730. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. which he expresses admirably again Odyss Θ v. 168. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold he cometh forth to meet thee c. By God's direction no doubt who suggested to him that Moses was coming by his order towards Egypt which was such comfortable News to him that when he saw him after such a long Separation it could not but be a very joyful Meeting The fulfilling of this Prediction was a new sign unto Moses that God would be with him Ver. 15. And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth Tell him from me what he is to speak And I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth Thou shalt have Directions from me what to say to him and I will enable him to speak to the People and to Pharaoh And will teach you what you shall do Instruct you in all your Proceedings Ver. 16. And he shall be thy spokesman to the People Acquaint them with what thou hast to deliver to them And he shall be even he to thee He doubles the words to denote that he should need no other Assistant but Aaron who being his Brother he might the more securely rely on his fidelity Instead of a mouth To speak what thou canst not so well deliver thy self And thou shalt be to him instead of God Deliver my Mind and Will to him The Chaldee translates the Hebrew word Elohim in this place a Prince or a Judge who hath the Power of Life and Death See Grotius in VII Acts 35. and L. de Dieu VII 1. For Moses by God's order and appointment executed all those Judgments upon Pharaoh which Aaron pronounced See Selden L. I. de Synedr cap. ult If Justin Martyr did not misapprehend Diodorus Siculus he saith the Jews called Moses a God For so he reports Diodorus his words Adhort ad Graecos p. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which now are otherways in the Books of Diodorus Edit Steph. p. 59. where mentioning several Lawgivers that pretended to receive their Laws from God or some good Angel names Moses among the rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who received his from the God called Jao So they pronounced that Name which we call Jehovah Ver. 17. And thou shalt take this Rod in thy hand The Rod mentioned v. 2. which is v. 20. called The Rod of God because it was an Ensign of Divine Authority and Power by which all the wonders were wrought Wherewith thou shalt do signs By stretching out so mean a thing as this Rod at God's Command great Miracles followed which demonstrated the Power of God and not of Man Ver. 18. And Moses went and returned From Horeb where he had all his Converse with God he returned to the Place where his Father in Law lived See v. 1. To Jethro In the Hebrew his Name is written Jether And the Tradition is in Semoth Rabba that he was once a Gentile and then his Name was Jether but being proselyted to the true Religion there was a Letter added to his Name as there was to Abrahant's and he was called Jethro And Mr. Selden observes he is called a Proselyte in the Gemaru Babylon and the first we sind mentioned in Scripture L. 2. de Jure N. G. c. 2. And said unto him let me go I pray thee He did not think it honest to leave his Service without his consent especially since he entertain'd him and gave him his Daughter when he was a Stranger to him And return unto my Brethren which are in Egypt To his Kindred and Country-men who called one another Brethren whom he had not seen many years And see whether they be yet alive He concealed his main design from Jethro not thinking it safe perhaps to trust him who though a good Man was not an Hebrew with his Commission or fearing he might discourage him from that Undertaking which he had already too much declined but now was fully resolved upon and therefore loth to be again disheartned It may seem strange that Moses in so long a course of time as Forty years should not have heard of the state of his Relations and Friends But it is to be considered that as he was afraid perhaps it should be known where he was so intercourse with Nations and very far distant was not so easie then as it is now adays And Jethro said to Moses go in peace He dismist him kindly and wisht him a prosperous Journey Ver. 19. And the LORD said to Moses in Midian Some translate it the LORD had said c. to show the Reason why he now desired to have leave to visit his Friends in Egypt However that be it is plain this was a distinct Appearance of God to him from that in Horeb for this was in Midian Where God who had set him no precise time before enjoyns him to be gone presently and assures him that there were none left in Egypt who designed to be revenged of him for the slaughter of the Egyptian So it follows For all the men are dead which sought thy life This is an incouragement which God reserved as a Reward of his Obedience having said nothing of it during the time of his Hesitancy and Reluctance Ver. 20. And Moses took his Wife and his Sons We read hitherto but of one Son born to him but it is plain he had another from XVIII 4. He carried his whole Family with him to let his Brethren see he was so confident of their Deliverance that he ventured not only himself but his dearest Relations in their Society And set them upon an Ass One Ass could not carry them all with every thing necessary for their removal therefore the singular number as is very usual is put for the plural Though one Ass might perhaps carry her and two Children one of which if not the other was very small See Drusius Quaestiones per Epistol 86. and Simeon de Muis in his Varia Sacra Asses are vile Creatures here with us but they were
A COMMENTARY UPON THE Second Book of MOSES CALLED EXODUS BY The Right Reverend Father in God SYMON Lord Bishop of ELY LONDON Printed for Ri. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCVII A COMMENTARY UPON EXODUS ADVERTISEMENT BY reason of the Distance of the Author from the Press several Errata's have hapned which the Reader is desired to Correct before he read the Book He will find them printed at the end A COMMENTARY UPON THE Second Book of MOSES CALLED EXODUS CHAP. I. THIS Book hath its Name from the Principal Subject of it viz. the Departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt For so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies going out or departing from one Place to another It contains an History of about an hundred forty and five years some make it two or three years less from the Death of Joseph to the Building of the Tabernacle For it treats of several Things which went before their Departure and which followed after it but they all relate to that and depend upon it Verse 1. Now these are the Names of the Children of Israel which came into Egypt c. Being to relate the Departure of the Children of Israel out of Egypt it was very proper first to set down the Number of those who came into it and the Heads of them Whereby it might the better appear also how God had fulfilled his Promise to Abraham of multiplying his Seed Which Moses had recorded in his first Book Genesis where he shows this Promise was made at that very time when he declared after a long Affliction in Egypt he would conduct his Posterity into Canaan XV Gen. 5 13 18. Ver. 2 3 4. Reuben Simeon c. He doth not set down their Names in these three Verses according to their Birth but first the Children of Leah then one of Rachels and then those of his Handmaids and last of all in the next Verses Joseph who was in Egypt before Ver. 5. And all the Souls i. e. Persons Who came out of the Loins In the Hebrew out of the thigh which signifies that part whereby Mankind is propagated as was observed upon XLVI Gen. 26. And so the Author of the Tripartite History uses the word femur when he speaks of the Martyrdom of Benjamin as Bochart observes P. 2. Hierozoic L. 5. cap. 15. Alium rursum acutum Calamum in ejus femur unde humana origo descendit jussit immitti For Joseph was in Egypt already In the Hebrew the Particle Vau which we commonly translate and and here for sometimes also signifies with See IV Gen. 20. And so it doth in this place which should be translated seventy Souls with Joseph who was in Egypt already For Joseph is not to be added to the LXX but reckoned among them to make up that number as appears from XLVI Gen. Ver. 6. And Joseph died See Gen. 26. And all his Brethren and all that Generation All that came with Jacob into Egypt Ver. 7. And the Children of Israel were fruitful c. Here are several words for the same thing to show their extraordinary Increase beyond what was usual in that or any other Country And because there are six words in all to express this great Increase some of the Hebrews conclude they brought forth six Children at a Birth Which others of them gather from the second word here used Jischretzu which is a word whereby the Increase of Fishes is expressed in I Gen. 20. So Theodorick Hacspan observes out of Baal-hatturim and Jalkut and thinks the Tradition is not to be rejected because they bring frivolous Conceits to support it For Aristotle saith L. VII Histor Animal c. 4. the Egyptian Women were so fruitful that some of them at four Births brought Twenty Children No wonder then if some of the Israelites brought Six at a time by the extraordinary Blessing of God upon them For Caspar Schottus names the Wife of a Citizen in Florence who had Two and fifty Children and never brought less than Three at a Birth L. III. Phys Curiosae Cap. XXIX where he hath collected a vast number of Examples of such strange fruitfulness But no Body hath explained this Verse now more soberly and unexceptionably than Abarbinel who considers every one of the words here used very judiciously and shows they are not multiplyed in vain For as the first word Were fruitful Signifies he thinks that none among them were barren but brought forth every year as Trees are wont to do So the next word And increased abundantly Signifies that they commonly brought forth more than One at a time as creeping things do to which this word alludes And because when more than one are born at a Birth they are frequently very weak and not long lived Therefore he adds And multiplied Which signifies that they grew up to be Men and Women and lived to have Children of their own And those not feeble but lusty and strong as the next words he thinks imports waxed exceeding mighty of which more presently Now this vast Increase began at their first coming into Egypt XLVII Gen. 27 28. and so continued till the death of all that Generation mentioned in the foregoing Verse When it began to be taken notice of by the Egyptians who thought it might prove dangerous to them For the Israelites having multiplied exceedingly during the space of XVII years that Jacob lived in Egypt there is no doubt they increased proportionably in the space of LIV years more which Joseph lived after the death of his Father And so in LXIV years more from the Death of Joseph to the Birth of Moses must needs be grown so numerous as to fill the Country So that in LXXX years more they were increased to Six hundred thousand Men besides Children XII Exod. 37. And the next year their Number being taken they were found to be Six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty Men from Twenty years old and upward as we read I Numb 45 46. And therefore reckoning Women Children and Youths under the Age of Twenty we cannot but think they were three times as many or perhaps Two Millions Which is not incredible by a moderate Computation if we consider how many might spring from LXX Persons in the space of Two hundred and fifteen years which the fore-named Sums make as Bonfrerius and several others from him in our own Language have been at the pains to demonstrate And waxed exceeding mighty This is commonly thought to signifie that they were not only numerous but robust and strong And it may as well denote that their vast Numbers made them very Formidable to the Egyptians who began it appears by the Sequel to be jealous of their power if they should have a will to attempt any thing against them And the Land was filled with them i. e. The Land of Goshen and perhaps some other Parts of the lower Egypt Ver. 8. Now there arose up a New King
consult for his Safety rather than basely either deny or excuse what he had done or ask pardon for it unto which no fear of the wrath of the King could have moved him Ver. 15. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing Which was soon brought to his ears as Moses suspected and aggravated extreamly by the great Men of the Court as Philo represents it L. I. de Vita Mosis He thought to slay him Not so much because he had killed the Man as because he pretended to assert the Liberty of the Israelites and to be their Deliverer Demetrius bears witness to this Story just according to what is here related in Eusebius's Praepar Evang. L. IX c. 29. And Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh Wisely foreseeing the Danger he avoided it by flight into another Country where he was out of his reach For though the time of Israel's Deliverance was not yet come he was assured that God intended to work it by his hand and therefore thought it prudent to reserve himself till he received a further Commission from God But though this flight of Moses be here so plainly affirmed yet the Jews are so sond of their own Conceits and so bold in their Invention that they say he was not only condemned to have his Head cut off but brought to the Block and when the Executioner came to do his Office his Sword would not enter Moses his Neck being by a Miracle turned into a Pilaster of Marble and from thence called his Son Eliezer c. So the Tale is told by the Author of Moses his Life What Pharaoh this was is not certain but Eusebius calls him Orus who succeeded Amenophis in whose time Moses was born and he is said to have reigned Two and forty years And dwelt in the Land of Midian Where some of Abraham's Posterity were setled XXV Gen. 2. in a part of Arabia Petraea And therefore Philo only saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he withdrew into the neighbouring Arabia Into which Country he chose to flee both because his escape was easie thither and because they were descended from the same Stock with himself and continued still good People or at least had some good Governours and Families among them as appears by what follows And he sat down by a Well To refresh himself and expecting it 's likely to meet some Company there at the time when the Flocks came to water Ver. 16. Now the Priest of Midian Or Prince as it is in the Margin For the word Cohen indifferently signifies either Priest or Prince but most anciently it signifies the latter a Prince For so it is used in the Book of Job XII 19. He leadeth Cohenim Princes away spoiled And in after times it continued to have the same signification David's Sons being called by this Name of Cohenim 2 Sam. VIII 18. which in 1 Chron. XVIII 17. is expounded were chief at the hand of the King And so Ira is called 2 Sam. XX. 26. Cohen a chief Ruler about David And so I think it is to be taken here for a Ruler or Governour See XLI Gen. 50. not of the whole Country of Midian but of some Province of it And it may be most truly rendred a Prince i. e. one of the Princes or Rulers of Midian But in ancient time Princes executed the Priesthood also as Plato observes they did among the Egyptians and the Consuls and Emperours of Rome were ambitious of the same Dignity by which means the word Cohen came to signifie both Though where the Place or Territory of which any Person was Cohen is mentioned there it always signifies him to have been Prince or Civil Governour of that place So S. Jarchi observes The word COHEN always denotes some Divine Ministry or Function except where there is an addition of some particular Principality to it as COHEN of Midian and COHEN of On referring to this place and that I now mentioned in Genesis where it signifies a Prince though the Priesthood might be joyned with it And so Artapanus in Eusebius L. IX c. 27. relating Moses his Flight into Arabia saith he came to Raguel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Ruler of those parts And the Jews in their German Translation of the Bible call him Heer Lord of Midian See our most Learned Selden L. I. de Synedr c. ult p. 648. I shall only add that it is most likely that this Prince or Priest was a Worshipper of the true God and not an Idolater for Moses we may be confident would not have married his Daughter if she had been bred in a false Religion Had seven Daughters and they came and drew Water c. He was but a small Prince it appears by this though it must be acknowledged it was a noble Employment in old time as I observed upon Genesis to look after Sheep and we must not imagine these young Women drew the Water themselves but had Servants to attend them and obey their Orders Ver. 17. And the Shepherds came and drove them away Some rude and idle Shepherds would have made use of the Water which they had drawn and had the benefit of their pains without any labour of their own This looks like an Argument that their Father was not a Prince for then one would think these Shepherds should not have dared to contest with them But it is as much an Argument that he was not a Priest for they were great Men also in those days And it seems probable to me that these were the Shepherds of some other greater Prince in those Countries who made thus bold with Jethro's Daughters and their Servants For one cannot think as I said that they alone looked after his Flock but were Overseers of those that did like Rebekkah and Rachel See Gen. XXIX 9. But Moses stood up and helped them c. This was an act as Maimonides suggests of the same Heroick Spirit mentioned before Ver. 12. which still rested on him and moved him here as it had done in Egypt And thus Philo also represents him as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transported by such an Enthusiasm when he spake to the Shepherds that it after frighted them from their attempt Though it is not certain that he overcame them by Perswasions but the whole Discourse seems rather to imply that he forced them to desist which he could not do alone but at the head of those Servants that belong'd to these young Women and it is not improbable he had some Servants of his own who attended him in his Flight Certain it is that the Arabian's great Imployment was feeding of Cattle as Philo there notes L. I. de Vita Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and that not only Men but Women young Men and Virgins looked after them and not those only of the meaner sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but they that were of Noble Families Ver. 18. And when they came to Reuel their Father He is thought to be the same with Jethro III.
built at their return from Babylon to their own Country III. 2 3. Myrothec II. Sacr. Elaeochrys c. 59. where he represents the form of such an Altar among the Heathen out of an ancient Monument p. 585. And there is little doubt I think that the Altars built by the Patriarchs were of this sort particularly that which Abraham erected whereon to offer his Son Isaac XXII Gen. 9. for it was raised so suddenly that no Art could be imployed about it I omit other Reasons which the Jews alledge for this Law for they seem to me to be fanciful And shall rather observe that Plato in his Laws ordered all things belonging to the Service of God should be very simple and plain without any Cost or Ornament and therefore forbids Gold Silver or Ivory because they were things too invidious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Brass and Iron he would not have used because they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Instruments of Wars but one single piece of Wood or Stone should serve for an Image and that made in a days time L. XII de Legibus p. 955. 56. Edit Serran It seems difficult also to reconcile these two Verses with God's own Ordinance not long after in the XXVIIth Chapter of this Book where he bids Moses to make him an Altar neither of Earth nor of Stone but of Shittim-wood covered with Brass for the use of the Tabernacle where he recorded his Name But it is to be considered that these two Verses speak only of occasional Altars as I may call them which they might have use of not only before but after the Tabernacle was erected These God doth not forbid when there was a special reason for them but he intending there should be no stated Altar but that at the Tabernacle he would have these made of unpolished Stone laid one upon another that they might be thrown down as soon as raised and that they might not draw People from the Tabernacle nor administer occasion of Idolatry by an artificial Workmanship and Imagery Now that there were such Altars raised upon certain great Occasions but not to continue appears from the Sacred History For XXIV 4. Moses built one at the Foot of Mount Sinai by God's command it 's likely and of this fashion And he gave order for building one of Stone after they came to Canaan XXVII Deut. 1 2 3. which Joshua performed according to this Rule as is expresly said VIII Josh 30 31. Of this sort were those of Gideon and Manoah VI Judg. 24 26. XIII 19. And we read of Altars built by Samuel 1 Sam. VII 17. and by Saul XIV 35. and David as was before observed 2 Sam. XXIV 25. and Solomon 1 Kings III. 2 34. besides the Altar which was in the Tabernacle and the Temple Ver. 26. Thou shalt not go up by steps unto my Altar This was most sutable to the state of Travellers to have their Altars low not lofty Besides he would not have them imitate the Gentiles who Sacrificed in High Places imagining their Sacrifices were most acceptable when they were nearest to Heaven Whence the Egyptians living in a flat Country wherein were no Mountains built Altars of a very great height which could not be well done by Sods of Earth or Stones loosely laid together Nor would God have it done when he ordered Mofes to make an Altar of Brass and Wood at the Tabernacle which it is evident was so low that a Man might stand and minister there without being raised from the Earth For it was but three Cubits high XXVII 1. which is less by one Cubit than the ordinary stature of Men. Not go up by steps There were steps in the Temple built by Solomon unto the brazen Altar which was ten Cubits high And Ezekiel expresly mentions them in the description of his Temple XLIII 17. which seeming to disagree with this Command Interpreters are much concerned to reconcile them And the fore-named Fortun. Scacchus c. 63. contends earnestly that no Altar was higher than three Cubits and therefore those steps mentioned by Ezekiel did not belong to the Altar but to the Basis or Ground-work as we speak upon which it stood But this is said without good ground for we read expresly that Solomon's Altar was ten Cubits high 2 Chron. IV. 1. at which therefore the Priest could not minister without some steps whereby he ascended so high as to be able to lay on the Wood and the Sacrifice upon it c. By steps therefore to omit other Conjectures I understand many steps which are here forbidden such as the Gentiles had to go up to their Bamoth or High Places as we see by one of the Pyramids in Egypt and the high Tower at Mexico to which they ascended by an Hundred and eighty steps But a very few served for Solomon's Altar and they were so contrived also as the Hebrew Writers tell us that there was no danger of that which God intended hereby to prevent in the words following That thy nakedness be not discovered thereon The Hebrews say it was a kind of Causway or Bridge whereby they went up to the Altar which rose by little and little till they came to the place where they were to stand See L'Empereur upon the Codex Middoth c. 3. sect 3. Or else the steps were so broad and so little distant one from another and the ascent thereby made so easie and equal that there was no need of lifting up their leggs high and therefore no danger of discovering the lower parts of the Body their Thighs Buttocks and Secret Parts which might have been seen by those below had they ascended by many large and high steps under such loose Garments as were worn in those Countries and thereby the Priests might have been exposed to contempt and the People moved to laughter or had bad thoughts excited in them In short the meaning is they should not go up many steps far distant one from another so that one must have taken large strides to ascend them The Jews say particularly Maimonides P. III. More Nevoch c. 45. that the Worshippers of Baal-Peor were wont to discover their Nakedness that is their Secret Parts before him Which he takes to be the reason of this Command lest any such thing should happen in God's Presence and this was the reason also of another Law that the Priests should have Breeches made for them which none of the People wore in those times but the Priests alone and that only when they ministred The Gemara Hierosolym upon the story of Balaam gives a long account of this Impure Worship as L'Empereur observes upon Codex Middoth c. 3. sect 4. But there is no proof of this from any ancient Author and the Babylonian Gemara gives a different account of the Worship of Peor which looks as if the Jews studied how to make it ridiculous as well as filthy But if there were any solid ground for it it would afford the clearest explication of
this was and have been pleased to fancy that some Book which Moses wrote is lost When this plainly refers to what is said v. 4. where we read that Moses wrote all the words of the LORD that is the Commandments and Judgments mentioned in the four foregoing Chapters Which though they made no great Volume yet might be called a Book in their Language for even the Bill of Divorcement which they gave their Wives and was very short is called by this Name of Sepher a Book XXIV Deut. 1. Of the Covenant That they might remember upon what terms he would bestow upon them the fore-named Blessings he engages them in a Solemn Covenant to observe the Commandments and Judgments contained in this Book Ver. 8. And Moses took the blood That half of it which was in the Basons v. 6. And sprinkled it on the people As he had sprinkled one half on the Altar in token God was a Party in the Covenant so he sprinkled the other half on the XII Pillars which represented the Children of Israel in token that they were the other Party engaged in the same Covenant Thus our fore-named Primate and several others understand it and it carries some show of probability in it Yet I cannot think it unlikely that it was sprinkled upon the LXX Elders by whom the People consented if not upon all the People who stood next to the Altar and are here expresly mentioned The Apostle to the Hebrews IX 19. saith he sprinkled the Book as well as the People which is not here mentioned but supposed For when he went to sprinkle the Blood we must conceive he laid down the Book that he might be at more liberty for this other action And perhaps he laid it on one of the Pillars where it was sprinkled as they were together with the People whom they represented And said Behold the Blood of the Covenant which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words Look upon your selves as obliged by this Blood to observe all the Commands which I have delivered to you in the words you have heard For there were two ways of making Covenants anciently both which were here used The first was after a Sacrifice had been offered to sprinkle the Blood of it upon both Parties who were to be Confederates which was done here v. 6 8. And secondly the Confederates thereupon proceeded to eat together some part of the Sacrifice which follows v. 11. where we find the Elders of Israel who represented the People did eat and drink in the Presence of God Ver. 9. Then went up Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and LXX of the Elders of Israel These things being done they went up into the Mount as they were ordered v. 1. i. e. they went up to that part of the Mount where Aaron and his Sons and the Elders were appointed to come but no further Ver. 10. And they saw the God of Israel When Moses is commanded to come near unto the LORD v. 2. Maimonides acknowledges it may be understood of his local approach to the place where the Light or Glory of God then appeared More Nevoch P. I. c. 18. And therefore it is something strange that he expounds the Elders seeing God of their apprehension of him by their Understanding and not rather of their beholding some glimpse of that visible Majesty which was on the Top of the Mount For that I doubt not is the meaning as appears by what follows And so the Chaldee expounds it They saw the Glory of the God of Israel surrounded we may well suppose with an heavenly Host of Angels attending upon the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty as it was also called And there was under his feet This hath made some conceive that this visible Glory appeared in the form of a Man with his Back towards them standing upon a shining Pavement But this is contrary to IV Deut. 15. For though that be spoken of another time and place viz. the Giving of the Law which all the People heard but saw no Similitude yet if the Elders had afterward seen a Similitude it would have spoiled Moses his Argument they being the Representatives of the People This glorious Light therefore far surpassing all other had no form nor could be described by any Art and consequently by its feet is meant only the lower part of it which rested as it were upon a most glorious Pavement And thus the Divine Majesty is said to have had a Foot-stool which was the cover of the Ark though it had no Human shape As it were a paved work of Saphire stone The glorious Majesty of God was represented as having under it a Pavement sutable to it self very bright and shineing For there is a sort of Saphire called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spotted with little points or pricks of Gold which shine like Stars interspersed in the Body of it See Salmasius in Solinum p. 131 203. Such was this Pavement as we may gather from the following words And as it were the body of Heaven in its clearness As clear as the purest and serenest Sky when it is all spangled with Stars All which signifies as I take it that the Glory of the LORD appeared far above the Glory of the Sun in its greatest brightness upon a Pavement sparkling like the Stars in the Heaven when it is most clear The LXX instead of the words saw the God of Israel have saw 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the place of the God of Israel As if they saw a Throne upon which there was a visible Majesty beyond all description And if this be admitted then this Throne may well be said to have feet standing upon such a glorious Pavement And so they translate it in the next Verse where this is repeated Ver. 11. And upon the Nobles of the Children of Israel i. e. The Elders before-mentioned v. 1 9. called here Atzilim to signifie that they were the prime and choicest Persons among the Israelites For Atzal signisies to separate and consequently atzilim imports Men distinguished from others either by their Birth Office or some excellent qualities He laid not his hand Did not hurt them Whereas it was the common Opinion That they who saw God though it was by one of his Angels should presently die The splendour of that glorious Light was so dazling that it was a singular favour it did not put out their Eyes as the Light wherein St. Paul saw our Saviour did his We are told v. 17. The sight of the Glory of the LORD was like devouring fire Which might put them in fear perhaps they had been scorched by it when it flasht out upon them but they found not the least hurt by it Thus Jonathan saith in his Paraphrase upon the XXXII Chapter that when Moses delayed to come down from the Mount the People fancied him to be burnt up by the fire which shone from the Presence of God which there appeared This sight of God which he vouchsafed to
which she her self said she had respect might have the same signification in her Language that it had in Hebrew there being a great affinity between these two Tongues See XL Gen. 45. Clem. Alexandrinus saith that the Name he had given him by his Parents at his Circumcision was Joachim Which he had I suppose out of some fabulous Book for in the same place he speaks of the Name was given him after he was translated to Heaven L. I. Strom. p. 343. Ver. 11. And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown When he was not only arrived at Man's estate but was full Forty years old as St. Stephen observes VII Acts 23. and may be gathered from this History That he went out unto his Brethren c. He had a motion from God as St. Stephen there seems to interpret it to go and acquaint himself with the Condition of his Brethren and to own himself more than he had done hitherto to be one of them The Jews tell many Tales what passed between him and Pharaoh till this time but there is no more credit to be given to them than to what Artapanus an Heathen Historian relates of his Military Exploits in a War with the Ethiopians against whom Cenephres sent him as General of his Forces Though this is remarkable that his Name and several Passages of his Life mixed with some Fables were known to other Nations and by them magnified and admired As appears by what Eusebius hath extracted out of Artapanus Eupolemus Demetrius and other Heathen Writers L. IX Praepar Evang. c. 26 27 c. And looked upon their burdens Which he did very often as Philo understands it L. I. de Vita Mosis and not without great Grief and Heaviness that he was neither able to hinder their Oppression nor to help them under it But he exhorted Pharaoh's Officers to moderate their Severity and the Israelites to be patient in hope of Deliverance And he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew The Cause of it is reported in The Life of Moses in Hebrew and in Schalsch Hakkabalah that this Egyptian had broken the Hebrew 's House and bound him and ravished his Wife and now endeavoured to murder him But this looks like a Tale which is a little better told by the Author of Schemoth Rabba and others mentioned by Mr. Selden L. II. de Synedr c. 1. who say that this Egyptian was one of the Taskmasters who called this Man out of his Bed in the Night to go to work and then took his opportunity to slip into it and lye with Selomith his Wife who took him for her Husband The plainest account and most likely is this of Philo in the place above mentioned that some of Pharaoh's Officers little differing from the most furious Beasts not at all mollified but more exasperated by Intreaties one of them of the most violent temper fell in an outragious manner upon an Hebrew because he did not do his work so fast as he would have him beating him most cruelly till he had almost kill'd him One of his Brethren All the Hebrews were his Brethren but this Man was of his own Tribe and one of the Children of Kohath as the forenamed Authors take it Ver. 12. And he looked this way and that way c. Round about him that he might not run into danger himself by delivering his Brother from it He slew the Egyptian Being stirred up to it by a Divine motion otherways he could not have justified this Fact to God and his own Conscience And therefore St. Stephen plainly makes this an Indication to the Children of Israel that God intended to deliver them by his means and says Moses thought they would have so understood it VII Acts 25. Nay Maimonides himself gives this account of it Pars II. Cap. XLV More Nevochim where he making this the first Degree of Prophecy when a Man is moved and animated by God to some great and heroick Enterprise either for the Preservation of the whole Church or the Deliverance of eminent Men from Oppression he reckons Moses among others as an Instance of it in these words Moses was indued with this Power when he grew up to be a Man by the impulse of which he slew the Egyptian and checked him who unjustly strove with one of his Brethren c. The Hebrews generally say that Moses did not kill this Man with a Sword or any other Weapon but meerly by the word of his Mouth pronouncing him Dead in the Name of God Which Tradition is so old that it is mentioned by Clemens Alexandrinus L. I. Strom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. They that pretend to Secrets say that he killed the Egyptian with his word alone as Peter afterwards in the Acts killed Ananias and Sapphira And hid him in the Sand. An inaccessible Desert lay on the West of Egypt as Diodorus Siculus observes and there was another also on the East of it so that if this hapned upon the Borders there was Sand enough wherein to bury him Ver. 13. And when he went out the second day Having begun to Act by the Divine Commission he seems to have resolved every day to give proofs of his Authority and awaken the People to expect deliverance by his means And therefore went out among them this day as he had done the day before Behold Two Men of the Hebrews strove together He was surprized to find two of his Brethren contending one with another when they were so grievously oppressed by the Egyptians And he said to him that did the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow He had no less Authority to admonish and reprove his Brethren than to chastise their Oppressors Ver. 14. And he said Who made thee a Prince and a Judge over us It is plain by this that he acted as one that had Authority but this Man questioned from whence he had it Intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian It is not likely the Man thought he had any such intention but meant only to fright Moses from medling in his matters by letting him know that what he had done already was not such a secret as he thought it And Moses feared He had not yet received a Commission from God to act publickly as their Governour and therefore durst not stay to answer a Charge against him which he thought might be possibly brought for what he had done privately Some have troubled themselves to reconcile this with what the Apostle saith XI Hebr. 27. that he feared not the wrath of the King which doth not seem to agree with what is said here that Moses feared But there he may very well be thought to speak not of his flight out of Egypt but of his last departure with the whole body of the Israelites Though if we should allow Moses and the Apostle to speak of the same thing there would be no contradiction between them For he might so fear as to make him cautious and
she bore him Nadab and Abihu These two perished in the very first Sacrifice which their Father offered because they did not take Fire from the Altar but offered with strange Fire X Lev. 1 2. Eleazar Who succeeded his Father in the Priesthood Numb XX. 25 c. and assisted Joshua in the Division of the Land of Canaan XIV Josh 1. XIX 51. XXI 1. From him sprung Zadok and the following High-Priests till the Destruction of Jerusalem 1 Chron. VI. 4 c. And Ithamar From whom came Eli and Ahimelech and Abiathar in the time of David in whom this Family was Extinct Ver. 24. And the Sons of Korah c. Though he himself perished in his Rebellion against Moses who was his Cosin-German yet his Family remained XXVI Numb 58. and were famous in the days of David being often mentioned in the Book of Psalms Ver. 25. And Eleazar took one of the Daughters of Putiel to Wife Who this Putiel was is not certain Dr. Lightfoot thinks he was an Egyptian Convert whose Daughter Eleazar married But I see no good ground for this Opinion but rather think it more likely Eleazar would marry one of the race of Abraham being Son to the High-Priest He was married indeed before his Father was promoted to that Dignity yet Aaron was so great a Man in his own Tribe See IV. 14. and married into so honourable a Family in Israel v. 23. that it is not probable he would suffer his Son to match with an Egyptian Proselyte These are the Heads of the Fathers of the Levites c. The great Persons from whom sprung the principal Families among the Levites He saith nothing of the other Tribes because his intention was only to derive his own Pedigree and his Brother Aaron's from Israel Ver. 26. These are that Moses and Aaron to whom the Lord said bring out the Children of Israel c. These are the two Persons to whom God gave Commission to be the Deliverers of their Nation out of the Egyptian Bondage He had mentioned just before their Genealogy the Charge God gave them both to the Children of Israel and unto Pharaoh v. 13. And now he goes on to show that they were the Men who were peculiarly chosen by God to discharge that Office first by going to the Children of Israel which he mentions here and then to Pharaoh which he mentions in the next Verse Bring out the Children of Israel from the Land of Egypt Assure them of their Deliverance notwithstanding the Pressures under which they groan According to their Armies Not by a disorderly Flight but every Family in such good order as an Army keeps XII Exod. 41 51. XIII 18. Ver. 27. These are they that spake to Pharaoh c. Who carried the Message from God to Pharaoh requiring him to let Israel go out of Egypt V. 1 2 c. VI. 13. These are that Moses and Aaron He repeats it again that all Generations might mark who were the Men that God imployed in this great and hazardous Work of Demanding the Liberty of the Children of Israel from Pharaoh's Servitude and effecting it in such manner as is afterward related in this Book There have been Critical Wits who made this an Argument that Moses was not the Author of these Books because it is not likely they imagine he would write thus of himself But no Body but these Criticks can see any Absurdity in it that he and his Brother being the Instruments in Gods hand of effecting such wonderful things should not let Posterity be ignorant of it but take care not only to Record it but to set a special Note upon it that none might rob them of the Honour God bestowed on them and He by whose direction this was written might have the glory of working such mighty things by such inept Instruments as Moses often acknowledges himself to have been Nor is this more than Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel say concerning themselves and St. John may as well be denied to be the Authour of the Gospel which bears his Name because he saith This is the Disciple that testifieth these things c. XXI 24. And besides this the History of succeeding Ages show us the necessity of this which Moses hath said of himself For if he had not told us what his Progeny was we see by what we read in Justin and Corn. Tacitus and such like Authours what false Accounts we should have of him for Justin from Trogus Pompeius makes him as I observed before the Son of Joseph Nay the Jewish Writers have been so fabulous that we should have learnt as little Truth from them if Moses had not told it us himself Ver. 28. And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses c. Having finished the Account he thought fit to give of himself and of his Brother whom God was pleased to imploy in this great Embassy he resumes the Relation of it which he broke off at the end of v. 13. Ver. 29. That the LORD spake unto Moses saying I am the LORD c. This and the next Verse seem to be a Recapitulation of what God said in his last Appearances to him v. 2 10 c. and of his desire to be excused from the Employment on which he was sent urged by two Arguments v. 12 13. where they are related something more largely than they are here in the last Verse of this Chapter In which he mentions them again that there might be a clearer connexion with what God further added for his Encouragement when he gave him the forenamed Charge v. 13. to deliver a new Message unto Pharaoh Ver. 30. And Moses said before the LORD We read the very same v. 12. which makes me think this is not a new Objection but meerly a Recital of what he had objected there See what I have said on the foregoing Verse Behold I am of uncircumcised Lips c. See v. 12. CHAP. VII Verse 1. AND the LORD said unto Moses He received new Orders from the SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty before whom he stood VI. 12 30. See Mark what I say in answer to all thy Objections I have made thee a God to Pharaoh Therefore why shouldest thou fear to appear before him who is but a Man Moses is not called absolutely a God but only a God unto Pharaoh Which denotes that he had only the Authority and Power of God over him or rather he was God's Ambassadour to speak to him in his Name with a Power ready to Execute all that he desired for the Humbling of Pharaoh and Punishing his Disobedience to his Message And Aaron thy Brother shall be thy Prophet Let therefore the Vncircumcision of thy Lips be no longer an Objection for he shall interpret thy Mind as Prophets declare the Mind of God Some slight Wits have from this place also drawn an Argument that this Book was not written by Moses but by some other Authour long after his time Because the word
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
here follows Ver. 19. Then the Magicians said unto Pharaoh This is the singer of God The same with what is called in other places of Scripture the hand of God CIX Psal 27. that is his Power There are those particularly Bochartus who think these Magicians did not by these words give Glory to God but thought to save their own Credit with Pharaoh by telling him that it was not Moses or Aaron who were too hard for them but a Divine Power superiour to them all To this purpose Jonathan But they ought then to have been sensible that the Power which they dealt withal was far from being Supream being unable to assist them upon all occasions And no doubt God intended to confound them by taking that time to disable them when they least expected it For why should not their Power have extended to such a small thing as this when they had done greater But God would not let them always abuse Pharaoh with their Illusions and gave them a check when they thought themselves most sure of Success And Pharaoh 's heart was hardned One would have rather expected to have heard that his heart began to relent when he saw his Magicians not only puzzled but quite bafled so that they owned Moses acted by a Power above theirs But this it was not to stick to the good Resolutions which had lately been wrought in him v. 8. from which he not only revolted but grew more resolute not to yield to God The effect of which was this further Induration it being natural for evil Men who resist the Means of their Cure to grow worse and worse affected This Miracle also of the Lice being more loathsom to Pharaoh than terrible might haply be the reason as Dr. Jackson conjectures that he did not intreat Moses and Aaron to pray for him as he had done upon the sight of the Frogs and as he straightway did after he felt the next Plague of the Flies I cannot but add also this further reflection of his Book X. on the Creed Chap. XL. that though the singer of God was very remarkable in producing the Lice which the Magicians could not yet it was no way remarkable in hardning Pharaoh's heart For it is neither said nor intimated that the singer of God hardned it but Pharaoh's heart was hardned that is remained obstinate The Cause of which was his not hearkning to them as it had been before v. 15. Ver. 20. And the LORD said unto Moses rise up early in the Morning and stand before Pharaoh As he had ordered him to do before he sent the second Plague VII 15. Lo he cometh forth to the Water This confirms what was said there that in the Morning it was usual with him to walk out by the River either for his Refreshment or for his Devotion Perhaps that after washing he might worship the Rising Sun For Moses is commanded to rise up early in the Morning and present himself before him And say unto him Thus saith the LORD let my People go c. The same Message he had often sent him VII 16 17. VIII 1. together with an Admonition and Warning of his Danger which God had not given him before the last Plague v. 16. Ver. 21. Behold I will send swarms of flies upon thee c. The Hebrew word Arob being generally thought to come from a word which signifies to mingle Interpreters commonly think it denotes a mixture of several sorts of Creatures And some take it as we seem here to do for all manner of Flies which Aquila calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all sorts of Insects Others take it as it is in our Margin for a mixture of noisom Beasts and so the Authour of The Life and Death of Moses God sent Lions Wolves Bears and Leopards and suck like wild Beasts which killed not only their Cattle in the Field but their Children in their Houses And so Josephus expounds it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Bochartus hath confuted this Notion by very good Arguments in his Hierozoicon P. 2. L. IV. Cap. XV. where he shows no words have more significations than the Hebrew word Arab which signifies not only to mingle but among many other things to obscure and darken From whence the Even time is called Ereb And therefore with great reason he approves of the LXX Version who translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Flesh-sly very bold and troublesome being not easily drove away which infests Dogs very much especially about the flaps of their Ears Some take it for that large black fly which fastens upon Beasts and sucks their Blood called Arob from its black colour as Oreb from thence signifies a Crow And so Philo describes this fly called Cynomya that it is as impudent as a Dog and makes its Assaults with great Violence like a Dart fastning its Teeth so deep in the Flesh and sticking so close that it makes Cattle run mad This Plague the Jews say in the forenamed Book of The Life of Moses was sent upon the Egyptians because of the hard Service they made the Israelites undergo in feeding their Cattle Ver. 22. And I will sever in that day the Land of Goshen in which my People dwell c. Here now the distinguishing Mercy of God to the Israelites is plainly expressed which is to be understood in the foregoing Plagues And the Hebrew word as well as the Chaldee signifies I will make a wondrous difference So Jonathan in that day I will work a Miracle in the Land of Goshen For indeed it was a marvellous thing that Countries so near one another should be in such a different Condition at the same time And it was the more wonderful because there was such store of Cattle in Goshen whose Dung is apt to breed Flies That thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the Earth Who governs all things here below or that have a special care of my People For so Bochart understood by Earth the Land of Goshen In the midst of which God is said to be because he defended and delivered them from this sore Calamity which their Neighbours suffered For thus this Phrase is used in many places VII Deut. 22. XXIII 14. XLVI Psal 6 c. And thus Conr. Pellicanus seems to have understood this Passage which he interprets you shall know that I am the LORD and Prince of this Country Ver. 23. I will put a division between thy People and my People c. It is repeated again because it was a remarkable thing and denoted the Israelites to be God's peculiar People for whom he had a singular favour Which is the reason that this Mercy is called here a Redemption as the word in the Hebrew signifies which we translate division because God exempted and delivered the Israelites from those Flies which sorely infested all the rest of Pharaoh's Dominions To morrow shall this sign be The finger of God was so remarkable in the last Plague v. 19. that
it As in 1 Sam. XVII 34. we meet with this very Expression concerning Goliath a man of war from his youth i. e. a great Warriour And in the foregoing Chapter David is called both isch Milchamah a Man of War and isch Toar a Man of Form or Beauty i. e. a beautiful or comely Person as we translate it 1 Sam. XVI 18. And in this very Book isch de varim a Man of Words is an Eloquent Man The LORD is his Name He seems to allude unto that which God said to Moses when he first appeared to him III. 14 15 16. VI. 3 4 6. Ver. 4. Pharaoh's Chariots The Hebrew word Mercavah comprehends the Horses by which they were drawn which were commonly four to each Chariot as Maimonides probably gathers from 1 Kings X. 29. Where a Horse is said to come up out of Egypt at an hundred and fifty shekels and a Chariot at six hundred because it comprehended four Horses More Nevoch P. I. c. 70. Chosen Captains The Hebrew word Schalish imports something extraordinary either in their Stature or in their Command which they had perhaps over three Squadrons as we now speak But Hen. Valesius a very Learned Man thinks the LXX rightly translated the word by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he translates three fighting out of a Chariot For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are both words belonging to Military Discipline which they call Tacticks and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he takes to be of the same kind and rightly rendred by Rusinus ternos statores in Euseb Histor Eccles L. IX c. 9. p. 358. Ver. 5. Sank to the bottom as a stone The Waters which stood up like a Wall falling down with great violence upon them they sank under their weight to the bottom of the Sea from whence after some time they rose up again and were thrown upon the shore XIV 30. though not all of them but some seem to have been buried in the bottom of the Sea See v. 12. Ver. 6. Right hand Is frequently used for the height of Power exerted in the Preservation of good Men or the Destruction of the bad XX Psalm 6. XXI 8. Ver. 7. In the greatness of thy excellency c. All words being too low to declare the greatness of God's Power which appeared in the overthrow of the Egyptians he indeavours to rise higher and higher in his Expressions to show how much he admired it Thou sentest forth thy wrath He seems to allude unto God's looking upon them through the Pillar of Fire and of the Cloud XIV 24. and to the Thunder and Lightning which are supposed to have come from thence Ver. 8. And with the blast of thy nostrils This may relate to the strong Wind which drove the Sea back XIV 21. The waters were gathered together This word Aram or Haram signifies to heap up together From whence the Arabians call those great Banks which are raised to keep in Waters from over-flowing a Country by the name of Arem or Harem as Bochartus hath observed in his Phaleg L. II. c. 26. And so the word may be here translated the waters were heaped up as banks on each side of the Israelites Ver. 9. I will divide the spoil It belonged to Kings and chief Commanders to divide the Spoil as Moses David and Joshua did among the Soldiers My hand shall destroy them Or repossess them as it is in the Margin bring them back to their Slavery in Egypt Ver. 10. They sank like lead It signifies the suddenness of their destruction for a Talent of Lead sinks in a moment Ver. 11. Who is like unto thee among the Gods Or the mighty ones as it is in the Margin For Elim is the Plural of El which comes from Ejalah saith the Author of Sepher Cosri which denotes fortitude or strength For from him proceeds all Power and Might but is himself more Sublime and Eminent than to be likened to any other Power according to these words which he quotes for the proof of it Pars IV. Sect. 3. Fearful in Praises I see no solidity in the Gloss of R. Elieser that Moses speaks in the Plural Number because the Angels praised God above when the Israelites praised him below Pirke Elies c. 42. The plain meaning is that he ought to be praised with the greatest Reverence for to him alone as Conradus Pellicanus glosses belongs all Honour and Glory who can never enough be praised Ver. 12. The Earth swallowed them They who were drowned in the Sea are here said to be swallowed up in the Earth just as Jonah saith when he was in the Sea that he went down to the bottom of the Mountains and the Earth with her bars was about him for ever II. 6. because the Sea which swallowed both him and the Egyptians is in the Depths of the Earth R. Elieser thinks that they being thrown upon the Sea-shore XIV 30. the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up Which is possible but there is no necessity of so understanding it Rather after the Israelites had spoiled them the Sea which had cast them on shore afterwards as is usual carried them off again and buried them in the Sand or Mud. Ver. 13. Thy holy habitation The Country where God himself intended to have a dwelling place v. 17. Ver. 14. The Inhabitants of Palestina The Philistins seem to have been the most valiant People in that Country to which the Israelites were to go and therefore here mentioned Ver. 15. The Dukes of Edom. Concerning the word Alluphe see XXXVI Gen. 18. By this it appears that Idumaea was at this time under the Government of Dukes though before Moses his Death they had Kings XX Numb 14. For they often changed their Government as I observed upon XXXVI Gen. where Moses gives an account both of their Dukes and of their Kings Ver. 16. Shall be as still as a stone The LXX translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 turned into stones i. e. so struck with the terrour of the LORD that they remained unmoveable as stones having no heart to oppose the passage of the Israelites into Canaan Ver. 17. The Mountain of thine Inheritance Moses seems to have foreseen by the Spirit of Prophecy that God would place his Habitation upon Mount Sion Which he understood perhaps from the Sacrifice of Isaac upon Mount Moriah XXII Gen. Ver. 18. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever It may signifie that when they came thither they would always acknowledge him for their Sovereign who had done such mighty things for them Ver. 19. The Horse of Pharaoh went in with his Chariots c. In this which the Greeks call the Epiphonema of the Song Moses briefly comprehends the whole matter of it and makes it end as it began Ver. 20. And Miriam Or as the LXX the Syriac and others read it Mariam which some think comes from Marah which signifies bitterness as the Arabick word Marara doth and
be the ancient grudge of the Seed of Esau to those of Israel For Amalek was descended from the eldest Son of Esau by a Concubine XXXVI Gen. 12. But it may very fairly also be supposed that there was some League between the Amalekites and the People of Canaan of mutual Defence which might move the Amalekites to oppose the passage of the Israelites and indeavour to hinder their Settlement in Canaan unto which perhaps they imagined their own pretences to be as good though the Israelites challenged the promise of it belong'd to them alone Then came These words import that the Amalekites were the Aggressors without any provocation If they fancied the Israelites would Invade them they might have prepared to defend themselves but it was no ground for Assaulting them Unto which perhaps they were moved as for other Reasons so out of greediness of Prey hearing the Israelites were loaded with the Spoils of the Egyptians And fought with Israel They came out of their own Country to sight with them in the Wilderness Or we may suppose that they attacked their Rear as they were upon their march from Rephidim to Horeb and cut off some Straglers or such as lagg'd behind through faintness and weariness as Moses relates XXV Deut. 18. The Author of Dibre Hajamim makes the Army of Amalek to have consisted of an incredible Number all exercising Divinations and Inchantments Ver. 9. And Moses said unto Joshua Who it seems was an eminent Person at their first coming out of Egypt Chuse us out men Whom he knew to be as valiant as himself And go out and sight with Amalek Meet them and give them Battle To morrow I will stand on the top of the Hill To pray to God who had lately appeared to him there v. 6. With the Rod of God in my hand This he said to encourage Joshua to hope God would not fail to deliver them though a Miracle was required to bring it to pass Ver. 10. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him c. Nothing but a strong confidence in God could have animated Men unexperienced in the Arts of War to encounter such mighty Enemies And Moses Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the Hill The Jews do but conjecture who this Hur was But we may be certain he was a Person of great Eminence for Wisdom and Piety otherwise he would not have been joyned with the Leaders of God's People Moses and Aaron We read indeed 1 Chron. II. 19. of one Hur who was the Son of Caleb and Grandfather of the famous Bezaleel who was of the Tribe of Judah But there is nothing to perswade us that he was the Person here spoken of nor that he was the Son of Moses his Sister as some of the Jews tell us See Pirke Elieser c. 45. where strange Stories are told of him But it is more probable that he was Miriam's Husband as Josephus affirms L. III. Antiq. c. 2. though we cannot tell whence he himself was descended Ver. 11. When Moses held up his hand Lifting up the hands was a posture of Prayer and imploring the Divine Aid as we find in many places particularly III Lament 40. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in the Heavens And it implies great Earnestness in Prayer as doth also listing up the eyes and listing up the soul XXV Psal 1. CXXI 1 c. But though this be true and no doubt Moses and his Companions prayed to God most earnestly yet this was not the occasion of his lifting up his hand which was to advance the Rod of God which he held in his hand and lifted up as their Standard or Banner to which they should look and hope for help from the mighty Power of God who had done such Wonders by that Rod. That Israel prevailed The sight of the Rod of God inspired them with such Courage that their Enemies could not stand before them And when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed Their Spirits flagged when they did not see the Rod and they began to give ground imagining perhaps that Moses despaired of Victory who the Fight being long was not able alway to keep his hand erect Ver. 12. But Moses his hands were heavy Through weariness by long holding them out upon the stretch And they took a stone and put it under him and he sate thereon It seems he had been standing before which gave them the greater advantage of seeing the Rod but made him the more weary And Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands Were his Supporters which it is probable was in this manner Sometimes Moses held up the Rod in his right hand and sometimes in his left for v. 11. he speaks only of one hand which was lifted up or let down and Aaron stood on one side of him suppose his right hand and Hur stood on the other Who by that means helpt by turns to uphold his hands in that posture for if they had done it both together they might have been as weary as he And his hands were steady c. Were kept up stretched out without falling down till Sun-set Ver. 13. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his People c. Routed their whole Army One would think the name of their Kings was Amalek as the Kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh because he mentions Amalek and his People Otherwise if Amalek signifies collectively the Amalekites then his People must signifie those who were confederate with them Ver. 14. And the LORD said unto Moses He appeared it 's likely to him again in this place as he had done v. 6. and gave him this order Write this for a Memorial in a Book Make a Record of it as he did both here and XXV Deut. 17. c. And no Body was so sit to do it as he who saw all that fell out in this Fight and was the undoubted Author of what we read in this Book which was written by himself And rehearse it in the ears of Joshua That he who was to be the Leader of God's People after Moses might never enter into any League with the Amalekites For his Prosperity depended upon the Observation of the Commands given by God to Moses which therefore were carefully written in a Book and delivered to him that they might not be forgotten See I Josh 7 8. where there is a plain proof that the Laws delivered by Moses were written before Joshua entred into the Land of Canaan For I will utterly put out the Name of Amalek from under Heaven Have a perpetual quarrel with them till they be quite extinct as they were partly by Saul 1 Sam. XV. and partly by David 1 Sam. XXX 17. and partly by the Children of Simeon 1 Chron. IV. 43. Balaam also prophecied of their utter Destruction XXIV Numb 20. Which may seem a hard Sentence but it was as Maimonides observes to terrifie others from the like Malice For as particular Persons are sometimes punished very severely for an
with an Oath that which they knew not to be true For so the word Schave frequently signifies in Scripture a Lie This relates not to their giving a Testimony before a Judge upon Oath of which he speaks afterward in a distinct Commandment but to their Intercourse and Commerce one with another For an Oath saith R. Levi of Barcelona ought to establish every thing and thereby we declare our selves to be as much resolved concerning that which we swear as we are concerning the Being of God Heathens themselves accounted an Oath so sacred a thing that it was capital for a Man to forswear himself as Hen. Stephanus in his Fontes Juris Civilis p. 7. observes out of Diodorus Siculus L. I. and the reason he gives of it is this that such a Man committed two heinous Crimes by violating his Piety to God and his Faith to Men in the highest degree But besides this both Jews and Christians always understood swearing lightly upon frivolous occasions or without any necessity to be here forbidden R. Levi before-mentioned saith this Precept may be violated four several ways besides swearing that which we mean not to perform And Salvian aplies this to the trivial naming of God and our Saviour upon all occasions and sometimes upon bad occasions Nihil jam penè vanius quam Christi nomen esse videatur c. Every body then swearing by Christ he would do this or that though of no consequence whether he did it or no or perhaps a thing which ought not to be done L. IV. de Gubern Dei p. 88. edit Baluz They that understand this of Swearing by false Gods which are called vain things in Scripture do but trifle that is condemned in the foregoing Commandment it being a piece of Worship to swear by them For the LORD will not hold him guiltless c. If Men did not punish the false Swearer the LORD threatens that he will And so Mankind always thought as appears by the Law of the XII Tables mentioned by Hen. Stephanus in the Book quoted above Perjurij poena divina exitium humana dedecus The Divine Punishment of Perjury is utter Destruction the Humane Punishment is Disgrace or Infamy And Alexander Severus was so sensible of this that he thought Juris jurandi contempta Religio satis Deum ultorem habet The contempt of the Religion of an Oath hath God for a sufficient Avenger For an Oath is the strongest Bond that is among Men to bind them to Truth and Fidelity as Cicero speaks L. III. de Ossic c. 31. Witness saith he the XII Tables witness our Sacred Forms in taking an Oath witness our Covenants and Leagues wherein we plight our Faith to Enemies witness the Animadversions of our Censors qui nulla de re diligentius quam de jurejurando judicabant who judged of nothing more diligently than of an Oath Nor was the other sort of vain that is light and idle Swearing without any just occasion suffered to go unpunished for Mr. Selden observes out of Maimonides L. II. de Synedr c. 11. p. 497. that if any Man was guilty of it he that heard him Swear was bound to Excommunicate him what that was he shows in the first Book and if he did not he was to be Excommunicated himself And there is great reason for these Civil Laws which have provided a Punishment for this Crime not only because it is a great disrespect to God to use his Name so lightly on every trivial occasion but because such contempt of the Divine Majesty makes Men fall into the fearful Sin of Perjury Ver. 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Be mindful of the day called the Sabbath to make a difference between it and all other days so that it be not employed as they are Ver. 9. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work This is not a Precept requiring Labour but a Permission to employ six days in a Week about such worldly Business as they had to do Which Permission also God himself abridged by appointing some other Festival days as all Governours may do upon some special occasions But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God Appointed by his Authority to be a day of Rest from your Labours In it thou shalt not do any work Herein the peculiar respect to the Seventh day consisted on all other days they might work but on this they were to cease from all manner of work In which very thing was the sanctifying of this day it being hereby separated and distinguished from all other days in a very remarkable manner But then it naturally followed that having no other work to do they should call to mind the reason why it was thus fanctified or set apart from other days And the reason say the Jews themselves was That having no other business they might fasten in their minds the belief that the World had a beginning which is a thred that draws after it all the foundations of the Law or the Principles of Religion They are words of R. Levi of Barcelona Besides which there was another reason which I shall mention presently But by this it appears that the Observation of this day was a Sign or a Badge to whom they belonged A profession that they were all the Servants of Him who created the Heaven and the Earth as God himself teaches them to ununderstand it XXXI 13 17. And that their Minds might be possessed with this sense he ordered this Solemn Commemoration of the Creation of the World to be made once in Seven days For as if there had been quicker returns of it their Secular Business might have been too much hindred so if it had been delayed longer this sense might have worn too much out of their minds Thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter c. They might no more employ others in their worldly Business on this day than do it themselves But their Children though they understood not the reason were to rest that in time they might learn this great Truth that all things were made by God Nor thy Cattle Their Oxen and Asses and all other Creatures wont to be employed in their Labours were to enjoy the benefit of this Rest as well as themselves V Deut. 14. Which was absolutely necessary it being impossible for their Servants to rest as is here also required if they were to set their Cattle on work Nor thy stranger that is within thy gates No stranger who by being Circumcised had embraced the Jewish Religion But other strangers might work who only dwelt among them having renounced Idolatry but not taken upon them the Obligation to observe their whole Law Yet if any such Person was a Servant to a Jew his Master might not imploy him on the Sabbath day in any work of his but the Man might work for himself if he pleased being not bound to this Law See Selden L. III. de Jure N. G. c. 12. Ver. 11. For in six
Therefore Nachmanides more reasonably conceives that these Rings were indeed in the corners of the Ark but not in the higher as R. Solomon would have them but in the lower and therefore said here to be in the feet For the Scripture calling the top of every thing the head of it the bottom is commonly there called the feet And so the Ark by placing the Rings and Staves in the bottom was carried on high upon the Priests shoulders representing God who is highly exalted And two rings shall be on the one side of it and two rings on the other side of it That is in the length of it as Josephus expresly testifies and not in the breadth Ver. 13. And thou shalt make staves of Shittim-wood Of such a length that the Ark might be at a decent distance from those that carried it And overlay them with Gold With Plates of Gold as the Ark it self was v. 14. Ver. 14. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the Ark. The Hebrews say these staves were ten Cubits long That the Ark may be born with them Upon the shoulders of the Levites particularly the Sons of Korah See Numb IV. 4 5 6 c. VII 9. For it was a Crime to carry it any other way either in their Hands or drawn in a Cart. Compare 1 Chron. XIII 7. with XV. 15. Ver. 15. And the staves shall be in the rings of the Ark. Continue and remain in the Rings whence they were once put therein They shall not be taken from it When they set down the Ark they were not to take out the staves and put them in again when it was to be carried but let them as was said continue in the rings that there might be no danger of letting them fall which had been a great irreverence and because they would be best preserved and take less harm there than any where else and if they had occasion to remove the Ark suddenly all would be ready and the Levites were hereby kept from touching the Ark or coming nearer to it than the ends of the staves Ver. 16. And thou shalt put into the Ark the testimony which I will give thee The two Tables of Stone containing the Ten Commandments which are called the Testimony and the Two Tables of Testimony XXXI 18. because they testified what the Will of God was which they had consented to observe and were therefore publick authentick Instruments attesting the Covenant between God and them Whence the Ark which contained these is called the Ark of the Testimony as I observed above v. 10. v. 22. and in a great many other places of the XL Chapter And in one place it is called the Testimony XXX 36. and the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD X Deut. 8. because then Ten words were the principal part of the Covenant to which they stood obliged And perhaps the Book of the Covenant which Moses made with them XXIV 7. is comprehended under the name of the Testimony For though we read in 1 Kings VIII 9. there was nothing in the Ark save the two Tables of Stone c. yet the Apostle mentions some other things that were not in yet by or before the Ark IX Hebr. 4. But I assert nothing in this matter And shall only further observe that this direction for putting the Testimony or Tables of Stone into the Ark is given before any order is taken for making a Covering to it which follows after And therefore he was to put in the Law before the Cover was set on For though v. 21. this be mentioned again and put after the Cover is named yet the meaning is that he should set on the Cover having put in the Law And it is repeated that he should be very careful of this because the Cherubims were to protect and defend it Ver. 17. And thou shalt make a Mercy-seat The Hebrew word Capporet litterally signifies a Covering of any thing And that is the proper signification of this Mercy-seat as we translate it which was the Covering of the Ark. For it had no Door but was open at the top so that they might put the Tables of the Covenant into it and then it was to be fastned above by this Cover which any one may discern by its dimensions was exactly fit for it Others will have it called Capporet not from Capar to cover but from Cipper to expiate and render propitious And so indeed the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the propitiatory because God here showed himself to be propitious and appeased by the Blood of the Sacrifices which was sprinkled before this place But the reason of this Translation may be because when Sins are pardoned they are said in Scripture to be covered The LXX put both these together in their Translation which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of pure Gold Not of Wood crusted over with Gold but all as Abarbinel speaks of solid Gold because it was the Cover of the Ark in which were the Tables of the Covenant written with God's Finger than which nothing was more precious Two cubits and an half shall be the length thereof c. Which was the length of the Ark v. 10. as the breadth was a Cubit and a half both of that and this Which shows this was the Cover of the Ark being most exactly adapted to it Ver. 18. And thou shalt make two Cherubims of gold We read of Cherubims in the beginning of the World and have good reason to believe thereby is meant Angels See III Gen. 24. But in what shape they appeared we are not told nor is there the least signification of it here in this place but what we can gather from v. 20. So that I can only say this they were of such a shape as the Angelical Ministers appeared in which attended upon the Divine Majesty in the Mount or rather such as god showed Moses a pattern of whereby to represent these heavenly Ministers For both the Ark and all belonging to it were made according to the model God gave him not from any Egyptian pattern as some imagine Bochart seems to me to speak judiciously when he saith they were not Figures of Angels but rather Emblems whereby the Angelical Nature was in some sort expressed Hierozoic P. I. L. 2. c. 25. And were therefore ordered to be made as Maimonides conjectures that the Jews might be confirmed in the belief of the Existence of Angels which is the second Article of their Faith next to the belief of God And he commanded two to be made because if there had been but one it might have led them into a dangerous Errour that this was the Figure of God whereby they might have been inclined to worship it But there being two of them ordered with this Declaration the LORD our God is one God it led them into right thoughts that God had many of these Angelical Ministers Thus he More Nevoch P. III. c. 45. Of beaten
painted with great variety from whence it hath got several Names as the same Braunius observes in the same Book cap. 15. n. 4. c. And the very Name of Achates seems to be derived from its various Colours Akud in Hebrew signifying that which is spotted as Jacob's Cattle were XXX Gen. 35. Though now because they are common they are of no great value yet anciently it appears from Theophrastus and Pliny they were more precious See there n. 9. And an Amethyst The Hebrew word Achlama is no more to be found in Scripture elsewhere than the two former But the best and most ancient Authors take it as we do for that Stone which other Writers call an Amethyst Which is of a bright Violet colour or like red Wine from whence it hath its Name in the Greek The nearer these Stones came to a Purple and the more they had of the Flame of a Carbuncle the more precious they were esteemed as the forenamed Braunius shows L. II. c. 16. n. 56. Ver. 20. In the fourth row a Beryl The Hebrew word Tharschisch is very variously interpreted but the LXX Josephus and a great many others take it for that which the Ancients call a Chrysolite that is a Stone of a golden Colour which others call a Topaz This Braunius indeavours to prove was the colour of Tharschisch out of X Dan. 5 6. V Cant. 14. c. See c. 17. n. 12 13 c. An Onyx The Hebrew word Schoham we meet withal in the beginning of the Bible II Gen. 12. and translate it as we do here an Onyx But Josephus St. Hierom and the Vulgar translate it Sardonyx which was of a mixt Colour of white and red For the most precious Indian Sardonyx had a Radix as they call it white like the Nail of ones Finger and the Superficies red like Blood and both of them transparent From whence it had its Name the Sardius Stone as was said before being red and the Onyx signifying the Nail of ones Finger See the fore-named Braunius c. 18. A Jasper Though the Hebrew Name which is Jaspeh be retained among all People to this day yet all Interpreters have not translated it as ours do who no doubt are in the right For why should we not think Jaspeh is certainly that Stone which the Greeks and Latins call Jaspri as we doubt not the Saphire before-mentioned v. 18. is the Stone they call Saphirus The best of these Stones are of a green Colour like a Smaragdus but sometimes they have little spots or points in them of various colours which hath made some Authors call this Stone Panthera See Braunius c. 19. They shall be set in gold in their inclosings Or more litterally They shall be golden ouches in which they are set See v. 17. and v. 11. Ver. 21. And the stones shall be with the names of the Children of Israel c. Upon each Stone was to be engraven the Name of one of the Sons of Jacob. And in all probability in the same order wherein they were engraven upon the two Stones of the Ephod where it is ordered they should be engraven according to their birth v. 10. And so Josephus saith it was here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is but the translation of Moses his words now named according to their Generations And so Maimonides understands it though here it be only said according to the twelve Tribes as if he had said upon the first Stone in the first row viz. the Sardius shall be the Name of Reuben upon the second the Name of Simeon upon the third the Name of Levi and so of the rest Like the engraving of a signet See v. 11. Ver. 22. And thou shalt make upon the Breast-plate Chains These Chains are not different from those mentioned v. 14. as some imagine who think there he speaks of the Chains of the Ephod and here of those of the Breast-plate For the Ephod had no Chains belonging to it nor needed any and the Breast-plate had only these two which though mentioned before are now more exactly described in their proper place and the use of them directed At the ends Concerning the word gabluth see v. 14. where I observed some think it signifies Cords from gabal which as well as chabal signifies a Rope or Cord from whence some fancy comes our English word Cable Of wreathen work So many Wires of Gold were wreathed together as to make a Chain of some thickness like a Cord. So Bartenora interprets it Abarbinel saith they were weaved but he must mean such a weaving as we make with our Fingers when we twist several Threds together which the LXX call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 twisted work Ver. 23. And thou shalt make upon the Breast-plate two rings of gold and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the Breast-plate The Breast-plate had four Rings in all one at each corner of the Square And here he gives direction for the making those two which were at the two upper corners of it the other two are ordered v. 26. Ver. 24. And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the Breast-plate This Verse and the next show how these Chains were to be disposed and for what end they served Below they were fastned to the two Rings in the upper part of the Breast-plate as is here directed and above they were fastned to the two Buttons upon the Shoulder-pieces of the Ephod as is directed in the next Verse So the Breast-plate was supported by these two Chains which hung upon the Buttons as the Breast-plate did upon them Ver. 26. And thou shalt make two rings of gold That is two other besides those mentioned v. 23. And thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the Breast-plate This is to be understood of the lower corners of the Breast-plate as v. 23. of the higher In the border thereof In the lower Border of it Which is in the side Or over against The Ephod inward So that these two lowermost Rings were not seen being inward lying as it were between the Ephod and the Breast-plate Ver. 27. And two other rings of gold thou shalt make These though belonging to the Ephod are not mentioned till now because the use of them would more plainly appear in this Place And shalt put them on the two sides of the Ephod Or rather Shoulder-pieces of the Ephod for so we translate it more plainly v. 7. Vnderneath Below or at the lower end of the Shoulder-pieces Towards the fore-part thereof Or in its fore-part Over-against the coupling thereof Opposite to the Rings of the Breast-plate being to be coupled to it by these Rings Above the curious girdle of the Ephod All this is said only to mark out the place exactly where these two Rings were to be fastned to the Ephod that the Breast-plate might be inseparable from it Ver. 28. And they shall bind the Breast-plate by the rings
together unto Aaron They applyed themselves to him as being left by Moses to be the chief Director and Governour of Affairs together with Hur during his absence XXIV 14. And according to the Computation made concerning the time of his going up into the Mount See XXIV 18. this hapned upon the fifteenth of our July which Month the Hebrews call Tamuz And said unto him Vp One cannot think that they spake thus to him at the very first word but other Discourse passed before this unto which Aaron in all probability making some difficulty to consent and perswading them not to persist in their Demand they would not be denied any longer but said in a seditious manner Vp make no further delay for we will have what we desire Make us Gods Or rather make us a God for so Nehemiah expresses it in the Singular Number IX 18. and so Elohim is often translated XX Gen. 13. XXXV 7 c. For their meaning was Make us a sacred Symbol or Sign as other Nations have that may represent God in a visible manner to us So the Jews expound it in Pirke Elieser c. 45. They said to Aaron the Egyptians extol their Gods they sing and chant before them for they behold them with their eyes Make us such Gods as theirs are that we may see them before us And so R. Jehudah in the Book Cosri P. I. Sect. 97. They desired a sensible Object of Divine Worship to be set before them not with an intention to deny God who brought them out of Egypt but that something in the place of God might stand before them when they declared his wonderful Works Such no doubt was their meaning for they could not be so sensless as to imagine the true God could be made by a Man or that an Image could go before them as it here follows which may have feet but cannot walk as the Psalmist speaks And therefore Eben-Ezra judiciously interprets it Some Corporeal Image in which God may reside Which shall go before us Conduct us through the Wilderness God himself in a Pillar of Cloud and Fire hitherto went before them but that Cloud now covering the Mount where Moses was and not stirring at all from thence they imagined perhaps that Moses being lost it would no longer lead them as it had done For as for this Moses c. This doth not seem to be the Language of those who had any regard to him We wot not what is become of him They thought perhaps that he was consumed in the Mount by the Fire which shone from the Face of God as Jonathan paraphrases it Greg. Nyssens Reflexion upon this Demand of the People is very natural That they were like School-boys who in the absence of their Master were carried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with sensless impetuous Motions into Rudeness and Disorder p. 183. de Vita Mosis For there were many among them who were infected with the Egyptian Idolatry as we learn from XXIV Josh 14. XX Ezek. 7 8. XXIII 3 8. And therefore hankering after that way of Worship by Images which they had learnt there they took this opportunity to desire a visible Representation of God among them as the Egyptians had And so St. Stephen looks upon this as a turning back in their hearts unto Egypt VII Acts 39 c. Ver. 2. And Aaron said unto them break off the golden ear-rings c. This confirms what I said that there was some debate about this matter before they spake those words to him v. 1. Vp make us Gods c. For it is not credible that Aaron would immediately consent to so foul a Fact as this without the least Argument against it Which is so unlikely that the Jews have devised this Tale That Hur rebuked them in his Presence the People fell upon him and killed him which affrighted Aaron into a speedy Compliance The golden ear-rings These it is probable were some of the Jewels which they borrowed of the Egyptians XII 35. and possibly might have worn superstitiously as I observed XXXV Gen. 5. they did very anciently There are those who think Aaron hoped they would not have easily parted with these and so their Design might have been broken From the ears of your Wives of your Sons and your Daughters Men wore these Ornaments in the Eastern Countries as well as Women as we find in the story of the Ishmaelite and Midianite Souldiers VIII Judg. 24. and Pliny L. XI c. 31. In Oriente quidem viris aurum eo loci c. In the East it is esteemed an Ornament for Men to wear Gold in that place speaking of their Ears See Bochart Hierozoic P. I. L. I. c. 34. Ver. 3. And all the People All that were engaged in this Design who were so many as I said v. 1. that the rest it 's likely durst not oppose it Broke off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron So zealous is Superstition which prevails over Pride and Covetousness Ver. 4. And he received them at their hands They seem to have presented them as an Offering towards the making of a Representation of God wherein every one of them might have an Interest and accordingly Aaron accepted them And fashioned it with a graving tool The Hebrew word cheret which we translate graving Tool is used for a writing Pen VIII Isa 1. and for a crisping Pin which Women used about their Hair III Isa 22. And therefore Interpreters take it here for an Instrument of Engraving And some think that Aaron made such marks with it in this Calf as there were in the Egyptian Apis which was a Cow that had a Spot on her right side like a Crescent as some Writers say though Herodotus say otherwise and the marks are variously reported See Pignorius in his Mensa Isiaca p. 18 c. and a square white spot in the forehead But others think it more likely that the Calf coming rough out of the Mould Aaron only polished it with a proper Tool For though Apis was in great honour among the Egyptians yet it was a living Cow and not the Image of one which they had in such Veneration Therefore Mr. Selden in his Syntagma I. de Diis Syris c. 4. takes it to be more probable that this golden Calf or Ox or Bullock for so the Psalmist differently calls it CVI. 19 20. was made in imitation of that golden Ox that represented Osiris which was very famous among the Egyptians Who had a mighty Veneration for the River Nile called in Hebrew Sichor from whence came Siris and for the Dog-star called Siris likewise at whose rising that River began to swell and for the Sun which was principally meant by this Name to whom both the Bull at Heliopolis and the Ox at Memphis were Consecrated as Macrobius tells us L. I. Saturnal c. 21. But though all this be very ingenious yet the truth of it may be well questioned as I shall show
painted in the Roman Church Which perhaps came from the ancient Custom among the Heathen who thus represented their Gods as Tho. Bartholinus observes de Morbis Biblicis cap. 5. out of Lucian de Dea Syria where he saith she did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carry Beams upon her Head Whence it was that the Roman Emperours who were raised so much above the rest of Mankind that they honoured them as a sort of Deities were thus represented as appears by many Testimonies particularly Pliny who in his Panegyrick to Trajan laughs and jeers at the radiatum Domitiani caput While he talked with him While he conversed so famaliarly with the Divine Majesty and both saw his Glory and heard him proclaim his Name v. 5 6 7. At his first being in the Mount there was no such Brightness left upon his Countenance for he did not see the Divine Majesty in so great a Splendour as he did now when the LORD upon his Petition vouchsafed him such a sight of his Glory as he could bear XXXIII 18 23. Which was so exceeding piercing that it altered the very Skin of Moses his Face and made it luminous Of which Moses doth not seem to have been sensible till some time after he came down from the Mount when Aaron as well as others were afraid to come nigh him having his Thoughts wholly possessed with the far more transcendent Glory of the Divine Majesty of which he had a Glimpse From this familiar Conference which Moses had with God it is likely the Heathen took occasion to invent the like Stories of their Zamolxis who pretended to receive his Laws from Vesta and Minos and Lycurgus who said they received theirs from Jupiter and Apollo with several others mentioned by Diodorus Siculus L. I. who then adds Moses had his from the God Jao so they pronounced the Name Jehovah But they had no such Testimony as this of their Communication with the Divine Majesty much less were their Laws confirmed by such Miracles as lasted for the space of XL. years under the Conduct of Moses in the sight of all People Ver. 30. And when Aaron and all the Children of Israel saw Moses behold the skin of his face shone This highly established his Authority and bred in them a Reverence to the Laws he brought that they were all Witnesses of the brightness or glory of his Countenance as the Apostle calls it 2 Cor. III. 7. which demonstrated he had been with God as he affirmed and had beheld the Glory of his Majesty and received from him the Tables of Testimony By all the Children of Israel in this Verse seems to be meant all the Rulers of the Congregregation mentioned in the next And they were afraid to come nigh him The Light which shone from his Countenance was so great that it dazled the Eyes of Beholders even of Aaron himself who did not know whether it would be safe to approach him This was an illustrious Testimony that he had been with God who dwells as the Apostle speaks in light inaccessible Ver. 31. And Moses called unto them Invited them to come near him and not to fear any hurt And Aaron and all the Rulers of the Congregation returned unto him Viz. After he had put a Vail upon his Face till which they could not steadfastly look upon it as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. III. 7. the Light of it being so strong that it hurt their Eyes if they fixed them there And Moses talked with them Acquainted them with what he had seen and heard Ver. 32. And afterward all the Children of Israel came â—igh c. There was a general Assembly of all the Tribes summoned that he might deliver to them all that which he had received from God See XXXV 1. And he gave them in Commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai All the Orders he had given about the Building of the Tabernacle and the rest contained in the XXV XXVI Chapters and those that follow to the XXXII For at his first coming from the Mount finding them in an Apostacy from God he said nothing to them about these matters but in abhorrence of their foul Idolatry broke the Tables of Testimony which God had given him to deliver to them Ver. 33. And till Moses had done speaking with them he put a vail on his face This seems to belong as well to v. 31. as to the 32d and accordingly I have interpreted it Though there are those who think he perswaded Aaron and the Rulers to approach without a Vail but put it on when he spake to the People who were less able to bear it But there seems to be the same reason for both Aaron being no less afraid than any of them And the Majesty of his Countenance appeared sufficiently even when it was vailed for the brightness was not quite obscured though very much shaded by it Ver. 34. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him he took the vail off till he came out He went into the Tabernacle where he spake with him face to face as a Man speaks to his Friend XXXIII 9 10 11. And he came out and spake unto the Children of Israel that which he was commanded This seems to relate unto the frequent occasions Moses had to go and consult with God in difficult Cases whose Mind he declared to them when he had received it Ver. 35. And the Children of Israel saw the face of Moses that the skin of Moses face shone c. Some great Men have thought that the brightness continued on Moses's Face till his death so that he spake to them with a Vail on his Face from this time as long as he lived Of which we cannot be certain though thus much is evident from this and the foregoing Verse that the Splendour of his Countenance did remain for some time after he came down from God's Presence in the Mount During which as oft as he went in to speak with God he took off his Vail and when he came out to speak with them he put it on until he went in to speak with God again as this Verse concludes How long it was before it vanished none can resolve Perhaps not till he had set up the Tabernacle and consecrated Aaron and his Sons and delivered all the Laws he had received about the Service of God which are recorded in the Book of Leviticus That is all the time they stayed near Mount Sinai from whence they removed a little more than half a year after this X Numb 11 12. CHAP. XXXV Verse 1. AND Moses gathered all the Congregation of the Children of Israel together Having told them what orders he had received from the LORD and sufficiently convinced them of his Authority XXXIV 32 33. he now proceeds to put them in Execution And in order to it he gathered Col-hadath all the Congregation which sometimes signifies all the Elders and Judges c. the prime Governours of