n 15 And mthou shalt speak unto | and I will be with thy mouth, and him, and ¤ put words in his mouth: with his mouth, anď o will teach you what ye shall do. m ch. 7. 1, 2. n Numb. 22. 38. & 23. 5, 12, 16. Deut. 18. 18. Isai. 51. 16. Jer. 1. 9. cured to Aaron, 1 Chron. 23. 13,' And Aaron was separated that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless his name for ever.' This, we suppose would have been the honor of Moses, had he yielded a ready obedience to the divine mandate. The event teaches us that those who decline the labor and hazard connected with the call of God to a special service, may thereby forfeit and forego a blessing of which they little dream.- —¶ I know that he can speak well. Heb. 27 737 ki dabbër yedabbër, that speaking he will speak. Behold, he cometh forth to meet thee. This was plainly the annunciation of a future event. As Moses had not hitherto thought of leaving Midian, nor had yet started upon his journey thence, if Aaron was now on his way to meet his brother, it must Lave been in consequence of a divine suggestion, for from other source could he have had any irmation that he should meet him. Yet no one can question that God, from his foresight of Moses' departure from Midian, might have put it into the heart of Aaron to go forth anticipating an interview with one who was dear to him by nature, and whom, after an absence of forty years he would be very desirous to see. The hearts of the different agents are often moved to the same work at a great distance from each other. It would seem that the Most High was simultaneously drawing Aaron with one hand from Egypt, and Moses with the other from Midian. The vision ought undoubtedly at once to have impelled Moses forward to a compliance with the divine injunction; but as Omniscience saw the result from the beginning, he proVOL. I 6 o Deut. 5. 31. vided a new stimulus to his apathy in the promise of meeting his brother in the desert, whom he determined by a secret impulse to lead forth for that purpose. In a manner somewhat analogous Ananias was directed in a vision to go and meet Saul of Tarsus, Acts, 9. 17, in order to be an instrument of opening his eyes and confirming his faith. This favor the perverse importunity of Moses extorted from God, but he, in the plenitude of his goodness, determined to elicit from the fault of his servant new matter of grace; as it is his to bring light out of darkness. In saying that he knew that Aaron would be 'glad in his heart' upon meeting his brother, he designs perhaps to administer a covert reproof to the tardiness of Moses; q. d. 'Aaron is coming forth with alacrity, and shall hail thee with joy and exhilaration of spirits, whilst thou, restrained by sinful distrust and weighed down with sadness, canst scarcely drag thyself forward to a meeting.' 15. And thou shalt speak unto him, &c. The Lord in these words declares that he will not admit his plea of, 'I pray thee have me excused,' and yet so does it as to consult his servant's honor against his will. When he might justly have substituted another in his room, he still condescends to employ him, and though he divides the office, and joins Aaron in commission with him, he endows his reluctant emissary with the highest dignity. While Aaron was to supply by his native ready utterance, the deficiency of Moses in this respect, the latter was to convey to his brother, as from God himself, the instructions and directions which should from time to time be given him. I will b2 with thy mouth, and with his mouth 16 And he shall be thy spokesman | 18 ¶ And Moses went, and reunto the people.: and he shall be, turned to Jethro his father-in-law, even he shall be to thee instead of and said unto him, Let me go, a mouth, and thou shalt be to him I pray thee, and return unto my instead of God. brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in 17 And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. P ch. 7. 1. & 18. 19. q ver. 2. Chal. My Word shall be with thy mouth and with his mouth.' Gr.I will open thy mouth and his mouth.' Even Aaron himself, however eloquent, could not speak to the purpose unless God was with his mouth. The, possession of the best gifts does not supersede the necessity of divine assistance. 16. He shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. Chal.' He shall speak for thee with the people, and shall be thine interpreter, and thou shalt be as a prince (rab) unto him.' Jerus. Targ.' Thou shalt be to him a master inquiring doctrine from before the Lord.' Gr. and Vulg. Thou shalt be to him in things pertaining to God;' the very phrase which Paul employs, Heb. 5. 1, For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to God!' How strikingly does this illustrate the Apostle's declaration that 'the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.' We see a persevering beneficence towards Moses, that fills us with amazement. When we should rather expect that the fire which had spared the bush would consume the recusant, we behold a continued triumph of mercy over judgment. 17. Thou shalt take this rod in thine hand. Gr.This rod which was turned into a serpent, shalt thou take,' &c. The end of his mission was to be accomplished rather by acting than by speaking, and he is commanded to take with him his shepherd's rod, not only as an instrument for working wonders, and an ensign of authority, but also as peace. a memento of the mean condition out Gashmu.' Moses was prompted by a sense of justice and decency to acquaint his father-in-law with his intention to leave Midian and go into Egypt; but he saw fit to conceal from Jethro the errand upon which God had sent him, lest he should endeavor to hinder or discourage him from so difficult and dangerous an enterprise. In this conduct the piety and prudence of Moses are equally conspicuous with his mod. esty and humility. He determines to guard against all temptations to dis. obedience, and at the same time not to indulge in a vain-glorious ostentation of the high honor conferred upon him. This part of Moses' conduct is a striking proof that the privilege of being admitted to near communion with God will never generate a contemptuous disregard for those whom we are bound in the relations of life to honor.- - Go in peace. Gr. 'Go prospering;' an in vocation of general welfare. See Note on Gen. 29, 6.—37. 4. 19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for rall the men are dead which sought thy life. r ch. 2. 15, 23. Matt. 2. 20. 19. And the Lord said. Aben Ezra says, and we think with great probability, that this should be rendered in the pluperfect tense, 'The Lord had said; i. e. on some other occasion not particularly specified. He observes moreover that as a general rule events are not recorded by the sacred writers in the exact order in which they occurred.- T The men are dead which sought thy life. Heb. 20 And Moses took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he re.urned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took s the rod of God in his hand. s ch. 17. 9. Numb. 20. 8, 9. willing to see him and his daughter rush into danger without some prospect of escape. His scruples would be of course removed by the assurance of a heavenly call, accompanied by the promise of a happy issue. 20. Moses took his wife and his sons, &c. Thus clearly intimating the purpose of a final departure from Midian, and of a permanent settlement in Egypt. The single ass for his family shows an humble equipment for a messenger of God, but the Gr. has ra vлošvyia, the beasts of burden, and the Hebrew usage in this particular as illustrated in the Note on Gen. 24, 10, will show that we are not necessarily shut up to the precise letter of the narrative. This is confirmed by the following extract from the 'Pict. Hist. of Palestine,' page 184. mebakshim eth naphsheka, which (were) seeking thy soul. On the sense of the word soul,' see Note on Gen. 2, 7. Chal.' Which sought to kill thee.' The phrase, 'to seek the soul' is sometimes used in a good sense, as Ps. 142, 4. (Heb.) No man sought my soul;' (Eng.) 'No man cared for my soul;' yet it usually signifies seeking with a murderous intent, thus explained 1 Kings, 19, 10. And they seek my life (soul) to take it away.' This declaration would remove a fear which it was natural that Moses should feel, though we do not learn that he expressed it. A grand obstacle would meet him on the very threshold, should the blood formerly shed by him be required at his hand. God therefore allays all his fears on this head by assuring him that no avengers of that deed were now alive to trouble him. It is probable that the information thus conveyed to him was important to be given to Jethro in order to obtain his consent to his son-in-law's departure. It is scarcely to be supposed that he would have bestowed his daughter upon a wandering stranger without being made acquainted with the leading events of his previous his-tricts where no one now expects to find tory; nor after his being an inmate of such a convenience; and that the way his house for forty years, would he be across this and other deserts was com The original narrative speaks but of one ass, 'set them upon an ass;' but, as it seems preposterous to suppose that there was but one ass for them all, it is likely that, as often happens, the sin gular is here put for the plural; and that the meaning is, he set every one of them upon an ass.' We do not recollect any modern instance of asses being employed in a journey across this desert, whereas the present is far from being the only ancient instance. In fact, there seem to have been, in very ancient times, greater facilities for travel across this desert than at present. Perhaps it was not so desolate as now; although even now we believe that during the winter and early spring it might be crossed on asses. Then there seem also to have been caravanserais in dis 21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I t ch. 3. 20. paratively safe appears from numerous instances, such as the journeys of the patriarchs to Egypt, those of Eliezer and Jacob to Mesopotomia, and this of Moses to Egypt from the eastern gulf, with his wife and two children. Indeed, if there were no attendants with this party, it would seem that the wife of Moses returned to Midian with her two sons, unaccompanied by any man. We hink it very possible, however, that there may have been attendants, although the Scriptural narrative has no intimation to that effect. However, the absence of any acts of robbery, or of the fear of any such acts, from those who crossed the deserts in all the early Hebrew history, is a remarkable circumstance when we consider the acts of constant violence upon travellers which now take place, and the strong apprehensions with which a journey across any of the Arabian or Syrian deserts is now regarded.'¶ Returned to the land of Egypt. That is, took up his journey towards the land of Egypt. See Note on Gen. 22, 3.-¶ Took the rod of God in his hand. Chal. The rod by which miracles were to be wrought.' This staff is called 'the rod of God,' partly because it was appropriated to God's special service to be the instrument of all his glorious works; and partly to show that whatever was done by it was not effected by any intrinsic virtue in the rod itself or in the hand of Moses which wielded it, but solely by the power of God, who was pleased, for the greater confusion of his enemies, to employ so mean an instrument. It would seem that there was a designed though latent antithesis between the Doorness of his equipage and the dignity conferred upon him by the mystic | have put in thine hand: but ul will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. u ch. 7. 3, 13. & 9. 12, 35. & 10. 1. & 14. 8 Deut. 2. 30. Josh. 11. 20. Isai. 63. 17 Johr. 12.40. Rom. 9. 18. rod which he bore in his hand. The outward eye, as he passed along, beheld only an humble wayfarer clad in coarse habiliments, and slowly moving by the side of the beasts, loaded with the bur den of his wife and children, but in the simple staff that supported his steps slept the hidden virtue of Omnipotence itself! It had but to be waved in the air and the salubrious Nile run a river of blood, and hail and pestilence and lightning and thunders waited upon its movements! What sceptre of royalty ever invested its possessor with such a grandeur ! 21. And the Lord said unto Moses &c. Moses has not as yet given an exact recital of the various miracles which he was commarded to work, but from the language of his verse we cannot doubt that all tl successive prodigies of power of which we read in the sequel had been previously enjoined, and the process of the whole affair accurately made known. This was in order to prepare him for the issue, lest upon a first and second abortive attempt he should despair of moving the mind of Pharaoh, and renounce his rod and his calling together. Here therefore God exhorts him to hold on in persevering constancy and not desist from his work till every item of the divine injunctions had been complied with. Let him not suppose that his failure in the first instance to gain his point would be owing simply to an evil accident; nor let him deem that 2 puny mortal could safely treat miraculous agency as a mockery. On the contrary, he was to carry with him the assurance that whatever was the immediate result, however adverse it might seem to the deliverance of his people, the hard of God was in it all, for the stout heart | remission, yielding. Thus Is. 35, 3, of the king was to be brought down by repeated blows, and the whole train of events so ordered that he should be magnificently triumphed over. This is indicated still more plainly in what follows.s.—T Which I have put in thine hand. Which I have put in thy power; which I have enabled and authorized thee to perform before him.- -¶ I will harden his heart. Heb. 13 ehazzëk eth libbo, I will strengthen his heart. Thus the Most High precludes the possibility of ascribing the result to any thing unforeseen or fortuitous; or of supposing that he could not, if he | pleased, have curbed the tyrant's arrogance and brought him to submit in a moment. Pharaoh will not hold out in rebellion because he could not be subdued, but because infinite wisdom had great ends to accomplish in suffering him to prolong his obstinacy. But as the language here employed is liable to be wrested widely from its legitimate meaning, it will be necessary to weigh it with more than ordinary precision. It is worthy of remark that the Heb. text in speaking of the 'hardening' of Pharaoh's heart, employs in different parts of the narrative three distinct words differing from each other by a marked diversity of import, but which are all indiscriminately rendered in the common version by 'harden.' These are hazak, to strengthen, confirm; kabad, to make heavy; and Op kashah, to make hard, in the sense of difficult, intractable, rigid or stiff. The whole number of passages in which Pharaoh's heart is said to have been 'hardened' is nineteen, in thirteen of which the term employed is 'hazak;' in five, 'kabad ;' and in one 'kashah.' The passage before us belongs to the former class; 'I will harden (PN ehazzëk) his heart;' i. e. I will make strong, firm, determined. The original properly signifies to brace or tighten up, in opposition to a state of relaxation, 'Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees.' In its legitimate import it is applied rather to the vigor. ous tension of a man's courage or reso. lution than to the obduration of the moral sensibilities. Its prevailing sense may be gathered from the following passages: Jer. 23. 14, 'They strengthen also the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return from his wickedness ;' i. e. they make them more determined. Judg. 9, 24, 'And upon the men of Shechem which aided him in the kill. ing of his brethren. Heb. which strengthened him ;' i. e. instigated him. Is. 41. 7, 'So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith ;' i. e. urged on. 2 Chron. 26. 8, And his name spread abroad, for he strengthened himself exceeding. ly;' i. e. he acted with great vigor, conquering all obstacles by the energy of his character. When God therefore is represented as saying, 'I will harden (strengthen) Pharoah's heart,' the lan guage implies simply, that the course of events should be so ordered that, without any positive divine influence exerted upon him, the haughty king should take occasion to confirm himself in his disregard of the counsels of the Most High, and instead of being bowed and humbled by the displays of Omnipotence should array himself in a posture of more determined resistance to the mandate of Jehovah. This God is said to have done because he permitted it to be done. A similar instance is related in Deut. 2. 30, ' But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.' So also Josh. 11. 20, For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly.' Yet in the present instance it is expressly said, ch. 9. 34, that Pharaoh hardened his |