12 And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have a not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear

q ver. 9.

me, r who am of uncircumcised lips?

13 And the LORD spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and gave them

r ver. 30. ch. 4. 10. Jer. 1. 6.

God treated the backwardness of his him to bow down his loftiness and humpeople to welcome the tidings of deliv-bly submit to the authority of a Being erance. He still moved forwards in his whom he did not acknowledge, and in measures for their relief, as if he heard so doing to honor a people whom he not or heeded not their unbelieving com- despised? More especially was he led plaints, and remonstrances, and groans. to distrust his success when he called That perverseness which would a thou- to mind his own infirmity in speaking sand times have wearied out all human This objection God had indeed suffiforbearance, is still graciously borne ciently overruled on a former occasion, with by the long-suffering of heaven. but in the depth of his dejection he But that which is mercy to Israel is pleads it again, forgetting the suffiwrath to Pharaoh, although the punish- ciency of grace to overcome the defects ment which is ripening even for him is of nature. In these circumstances, with not to be inflicted without farther warn- a leader disheartened and broken down ings. When the Lord is about to visit in spirit and a people sunk in utter deswith judgments, we see him advancing pondency, what hope remained of deas with slow and reluctant steps. On liverance to Israel, had not God himthe contrary, when misery is to be re- self taken the accomplishment of the lieved, benefits conferred, or sins for- whole work into his own hands? But given, the blessing makes haste as it his strength is made perfect in man's were, to spend itself upon its objects. weakness.- ¶ Who am of uncircumBut when the wicked are to be dealt cised lips. Chal. 'Of an heavy speech.' with, justice seems to regret the neces- Gr. aλoyos, without speech. As among sity under which it is laid to maintain the Jews the circumcision of any part itself, and the sinner is not destroyed denoted its perfection, so on the other till the equity of his condemnation is hand uncircumcision was used to sigmanifest, and every thing around him nify its defectiveness or inaptitude to calls for vengeance. the purposes for which it was designed. Thus the prophet says of the Jews, Jer. 6. 10, that their ear was uncircumcised,' and adds the explanation of it,

12. And Moses spake before the Lord, &c. It would seem that Moses had caught, in some measure, the spirit of despondency which reigned among his brethren. He speaks as one discouraged and timidly shrinking from what appears to him a hopeless service. Reasoning from the less to the greater, he is ready to conclude the cause to be desperate. If the Israelites themselves, who were so deeply interested in the burden of his message, turned a deaf ear to it, how little ground had he to hope for a hearing from Pharaoh? Would he not, in the pride and insolence of his spirit, spurn a message which required

because they cannot hearken.' Again, ch. 9. 26, he tells us that 'the house of Israel were uncircumcised in heart,' i. e. would not understand and learn their duty. In like manner 'ur circumcised lips' in the passage before us must mean a person who was a bad speaker and wanting eloquence. Syr. Mine is a stammering tongue.'

13. The Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge, &c. Aaron is here again joined in com. mission with Moses, and the debate

a charge unto the children of Israel, | their generations; Gershon, and and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to Kohath, and Merari. And the bring the children of Israel out of years of the life of Levi were an the land of Egypt. hundred thirty and seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.

14 These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi : these be the families of Reuben. 15 t And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.

16 ¶ And these are the names of u the sons of Levi, according to

s Gen. 46. 9. 1 Chron. 5. 3. t1 Chron. 4. 24. Gen. 46. 10. u Gen. 46. 11. Numb. 3. 17 1 Chron. 6. 1, 16.

18 And y the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi, according to their generations.

x1 Chron. 6. 17. & 23. 7. y Numb. 26. 57. 1 Chron. 6. 2, 18. z 1 Chron. 6. 19. & 23. 21. nexion, is to point out distinctly the stock and lineage of Moses and Aaron. As one of these was to be the great Legislator and Prophet, and the other the High Priest of the peculiar people, it might be of very great importance in after ages to have their true descent authenticated beyond a doubt.—¶ The sons of Reuben, &c. As Reuben and Simeon were elder than Levi, from whom Moses and Aaron derived their pedigree, it seemed to be proper to state the rank which their progenitor held, in the order of birth, among the sons of Jacob.

ended by the interposition of the divine authority. A solemn charge is given to both which, upon their allegiance, they are required to execute with all possible expedition and fidelity. 'Where the word of a king is, there is power,' and the repetition of baffled arguments is suitably cut short by the voice of the Most High speaking in majesty. It is not clear that the words of this verse are to be understood as the answer to what Moses had said in the verse before. They seem to be rather a brief recapitulation of what had been said in the three preceding verses. As he was about to interrupt the thread of the narrative by the insertion of a genealogical table, he here repeats the general fact of Moses and Aaron having received a charge to go into the presence of Pharaoh and renew their demand of the dismission of the people. The historian thus indicates the posture of things at that particular stage of the business where the continuity of his story is broken. 14. These be the heads, &c. Gr. aoxn-at the death of Joseph, whom he suryou, chiefs, captains, governors. Their houses,' i. e. the houses of Moses and Aaron. The design of introducing this genealogical record in its present con

16. According to their generations. The force of this expression may, perhaps, be better conceived by its being paraphrased thus: "These are the names of the sons of Levi, viewed in connexion with the respective lines of descendants proceeding from them. years of the life of Levi, &c. Levi was four years elder than Joseph, consequently he was 43 when he came into Egypt, Joseph being then 39; was 114

The

vived 23 years; lived after coming into Egypt 94 years, and died 41 years be fore the birth of Moses, and 121 before the exode from Egypt. His age is per

20 And a Amram took him Joche- | 25 And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Putie. to wife; and g she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fa thers of the Levites, according to their families.

29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, m I am the LORD: "speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.

30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

m ver. 2. n ver. 11. ch. 7. 2. o ver. 12. ch. 4. 10.

CHAPTER VII.

AND the LORD said unto Moses,

See, I have made thee a a god to Pharaoh and Aaron thy brother shall be bthy prophet.

2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he

a ch. 4. 16. Jer. 1. 10. b ch. 4. 16. c ch 4. 15.

because they are God's vicegerents. He was authorized to speak and act in God's name, doing that which was above the ordinary power of nature, and com

distinguishing grace of heaven in raising up two individuals from the humblest ranks of life, and entrusting them with the dignified service of delivering Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. -TAc-missioned to demand obedience from a cording to their armies. That is, their tribes, now grown so numerous as to form each an army. There seems to be intended also an oblique antithesis between these armies of Israel, and the two inconsiderable men who were appointed to lead them; as if he would insinuate that they were called to a work to which they were in themselves totally inadequate, and one which they could never have performed without being miraculously aided and endowed from heaven.

29. Saying, I am the Lord (Jehovah). Nothing more could be really needed to countervail the fears and misgivings of Moses than this assurance. The name 'Jehovah,' carries enough in its import to support his ministers in their severest trials and most arduous labors.

CHAPTER VII.

1. I have made thee a god to Pharaoh. Heb. 7 nathattika elohim, I have given thee a god; i. e. set, ordained, appointed; according to a common usage of the original to give, of which see Note on Gen. 1. 17. Chal. 'I have set thee a prince or master (rab). Arab. 'I have made thee a lord.' See Note on Ex. 4. 10. Moses was to be God's representative in this affair, as magistrates are called gods

sovereign prince.¶ Aaron shall be thy prophet. Chal. "Thine interpreter.' See Note on Gen. 28. 7. 'A man who is afraid to go into the presence of a king, or a governor, or a great man, will seek an interview with the minis ter, or some principal character; and should he be much alarmed, it will be said, 'Fear not, Triend; I will make you as a god to the king.' 'What! are you afraid of the collector? fear not; you will be as a god to him.' 'Yes, yes, that upstart was once much afraid of the great ones; but now he is like a god among them.' Roberts. Moses himself was to be an oracle, and Aaron a mouth, to Pharaoh. Aaron was to be to Moses what Moses himself was to God. The Most High does not scruple to clothe his humblest servants with a kind of divinity when he would make them oracles to his people or instruments of wrath to his enemies.

2. Thou shalt speak, &c. That is, to Aaron. When men speak by God's command they are to keep back no part of his message. Although the name of Aaron is not always expressly mentioned in connexion with that of Moses throughout the ensuing narrative, yet it is to be inferred, from the charge now given, that the two brothers uniformly went into the presence of Phara h to. gether.

send the children of Israel out of of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, his land. h by great judgments.