send the children of Israel out of of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, his land. h by great judgments. 3 And dI will harden Pharaoh's heart, and e multiply my f signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, g that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children ch. 4. 21. e ch. 11. 9. fch. 4. 7. 8 ch. 10. 1. & 11.9. 3. I will harden Pharaoh's heart, &c. As in the former instance, ch. 4. 15, 21, God announced to Moses the result, of which his message would be the occasion, not the cause, so here also he expressly informs him that the course which he should pursue with Pharaoh would but serve to 'harden his heart,' and set him with more obstinacy than ever against letting Israel go. The consequence would be, that it would become necessary to display before the Egyptians multiplied and still more striking exhibitions of the divine majesty and power. — My wonders. Heb. 5 mophethai. The original comes from the root 5 And the Egyptians i shall know that I am the LORD, when Ik stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. 6 And Moses and Aaron I did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. h ch. 6. 6. i ver. 17. ch. 8. 22. & 14. 4, 18. Ps. 9. 16. k ch. 3. 20. 1 ver. 2. people,' as the copulative' and' is wanting. 5. The Egyptians shall know, &c. The great end at which God aims by his penal judgments upon the world, is to make himself known to the children of men. His messengers may be despised, contradicted, and opposed, but it should be a satisfaction to them to be assured that the divine word shall so far prosper in that whereunto it is sent, that God shall finally be glorified in the issue of their embassy. They shall not in the end have reason to say that they have labored in vain, though they would rejoice to have been made the instru yaphah, toments of mercies rather than of judg ments. persuade. It therefore properly implies a persuasive fact, event, or sign, effect. ed to produce conviction and to lead to faith and obedience, whether the wonder be strictly miraculous or not. 4. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you. Heb. y lo yishma, will not hear; i. e. will not obediently give heed to you. The received mode of rendering, 'shall not hearken,' puts upon the passage an imperative air which the original does not warrant, or at least require. It is merely a predictive sentence. That I may lay mine hand. Heb. ve-nathatti eth yadi, and I will give mine hand. Chal. And will lay the stroke of my strength (i. e. my powerful plague) upon the land of Egypt.' -¶ Bring forth mine armies, and my people. Rather, according to the original,Mine hosts, even my 6. Moses and Aaron did, &c. These words contain merely a general affirmation that Moses and Aaron, according to what was required of them, delivered all the words, and performed all the miracles which are afterward recorded in their various minute details. The statement is not prompted by a spirit of self-complacent boasting, but as Moses had before frankly recorded his sinful backwardness to engage in the Lord's service, it was no more than proper that he should pay this tribute to his subsequent prompt fidelity. It is in effect the same testimony which is given by the Psalmist, Ps. 105. 28, 'They (Moses and Aaron) rebelled not against his word,' provided this was spoken of Moses and Aaron, which may be doubted. See Note on Ex. 9. 14-16. 7 And Moses was m fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. 8 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying, 9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, "Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aa m Deut. 29. 5. & 31. 2. & 34. 7. Acts 7.23, 30. n Isai. 7. 11. John 2. 18. & 6. 30. 7. Moses was fourscore years old, &c. They both therefore had, in the eyes of their countrymen, all the venerableness attached to age, and their years would inspire confidence that they would do nothing rashly. Pharaoh also might be expected to consider with more respect a message delivered by men of such a reverend and patriarchal demeanor. At the same time, it went to display the divine hand more illustriously, that two such grey headed old men, should be selected to manage a business of such an immensely arduous nature; as no degree of vigor of constitution could prevent them from feeling and evincing some of the infirmities of age. pent. Heb. 13 yehi letannin, it shall be to a serpent; i. e. a large serpent, a dragon (Gr. doaxın, a dragon). On the import of the original word tannin, see Note on Gen. 1. 21. The word here is not the same with that which occurs ch. 4. 3, though, in some instances, probably synonymous with it. It is not unlikely that the rod 9. Show a miracle for you. Heb. was changed into a crocodile, an ani3 tenu lakem mopheth, mal abounding in Egypt, and apparentgive a miracle for yourselves. The ly spoken of, in some cases, as an emtone is supposed to be supercilious and blem of its persecuting rulers. Ps. 74. haughty, as though it were much more 13, 'Thou didst divide the sea by thy important for their sakes than for his strength (the Red Sea): thou brakest that a miracle should be wrought. It the heads of the dragons (Heb. D is taken for granted however that Pha- tanninim) in the waters ;' i. e. thou deraoh would demand a miraculous testi-stroyedst the Egyptian power. See also mony in proof of their commission from Ezek. 29. 3. God. The implication involved in this is plainly, that such a demand is in itself reasonable; and although Pharaoh probably had no desire to be convinced, but was rather in hopes that no miracle would be wrought, and thus his dis obedience be justified to himself, yet it is obvious that the Scriptures go all along on the admitted principle that the performance of miracles is the true seal of a divine commission. See on this subject the Note on Ex. 4. 5. Those 10. Aaron cast down his rod, &c. Though not expressly asserted, yet it is to be presumed, that a sign was demanded by Pharaoh. The command to Moses and Aaron to work the miracle was predicated on the contingency of Pharaoh's asking it, and we must presume that this condition occurred. But the sacred writers study the extremest brevity upon all points that do not positively require specification. Up to this point Moses and Aaron had simply 11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men, and the sorcerers: now r Gen. 41. 8. $2 Tim. 3. 8. delivered their message, their instructions, to Pharaoh; the time had now come for them to produce their credentials. the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. t ver. 22. ch. 8. 7, 18. with difficulties of no easy solution. One of the most elaborate and satisfactory of the numerous tractates to which this part of the Mosaic history has given rise, is that of Farmer in his 'Dissertation on Miracles,' a work which has supplied us with many important hints in the ensuing remarks. First, as to Pharaoh's design in sending for the magicians, there is no good reason for supposing that the object was to engage the gods of Egypt to work 11. Pharaoh called the wise men. Heb. hakamim, from Dhakam, to be wise, to act wisely; and applied in its adjective form by the orientals to those that practised magical arts and incantations, from their being supposed to know more, to be wiser, than the mass of men. The Gr. here has oras, sophists; i. e. philoso-miracles in direct opposition to the God phers, or professors of science.- of Israel, and thereby to invalidate MoSorcerers. Heb. mekash- ses' divine commission. In that case shephim, from kashaph, to use they would obviously have endeavored inchantments for magical purposes; to counteract the aim of Jehovah and equivalent to sorcerers, jugglers, wiz.not to promote it. Instead of joining ards. Gr. pagua povs, conjurors by drugs. with the God of the Hebrews in bring- Magicians. Heb. haring down heavier judgments and adding tummim. On this word see Note on to the direful plagues already inflicted, Gen. 41. 8. It is here evidently used in they would have sought to have had a general sense, comprehending under them diminished and removed. Instead it the wise men and the sorcerers men- of desiring them to turn more water into tioned above, from whom the magicians blood, they would have besought them were not a different class. The Gr. to restore the corrupted waters to their renders the term variously by syna natural state. Instead of entreating interpreters or explainers of something them to multiply frogs, their prayer secret, εod, inchanters, and poop would have been for them to be removed Ko, drug-sorcerers. In the Lat. it is or destroyed, as it would certainly be often explained by genethliaci or sapi- as easy to do the one as the other. entes nativitatum, casters-up of nativ- The fact seems to have been, that Phaities, and is joined with astrologers and raoh's first thought was that Moses soothsayers, Dan. 1. 20.-2. 10, 27.-4. 7. was nothing more than a magician, and Having thus defined, as well as we that he sent for his magicians in order to are able, the import of the original learn from them whether the sign given terms, two important questions natur- by Moses was truly supernatural, or ally suggest themselves for considera- only such as their art was able to action;-(1) What was Pharaoh's design complish. The question therefore was in calling these magicians into his pre- not whether the gods of Egypt were su sence? and (2) What do we learn from perior to the God of Israel, or whether the sacred text that they actually did? evil spirits could perform greater miraThe subject is one which has been very cles than those which Moses performed largely discussed and very variously by the assistance of Jehovah; but wheunderstood, and at best is encompassed ther the works of Moses were proper their enchantments, and work a real miracle, contrary perhaps to their expectations; while yet his design was by working a still greater one on the side of Moses and Aaron, to show the vast superiority of his power over theirs. This they would infer of course when they saw for instance Aaron's rod swallowing up their own, and consequently both they and Pharaoh would be inexcusable in refusing to acknowledge the agency of Omnipotence. But to this again it may be replied, that the proof thus adduced was not absolutely con proofs that the God of Israel was Jehovah, the only sovereign of nature, and consequently whether Moses was acting by his commission. This was to be determined by the result of their efforts to perform the same extraordinary acts as Moses did; and had they succeeded, the effect would have been the same as if Baal had answered his votaries by fire; it would have followed of course that Moses, whatever he might pretend, was a magician only, and not a divinely commissioned messenger, and also that Jehovah was not the only sovereign of nature, Having been sum-clusive to their minds, that no power moned therefore for this purpose into the royal presence, the question arises, Secondly, as to the true nature of the magicians' performances. Were they real miracles, and if so by what power effected? Or were they nothing more than dextrous feats of juggling or sleight of hand? On these points various opinions have been held, each supported by an array of reasoning more or less plausible. Some have supposed that the magicians were aided by evil spirits in the performance of the miracles; and that these spirits were allowed by God to exercise a supernatural power up to a certain point, when they were suddenly arrested and confounded in their impotency, and made to give a more signal triumph to the cause of Omnipotence and truth. But to this it is we think validly objected that the Scriptures, properly understood, never ascribe to evil spirits the power of working real miracles. Whatever wonders they may be capable of effecting, a miracle strictly so termed, invariably requires and implies a divine interposition, as other wise it would be difficult to conceive how a miracle should be a proof of a commission from God. Others therefore have supposed that although the magicians pretended to have communication with evil spirits and employed their arts accordingly, yet that God was pleased to interpose in concurrence with but that of Jehovah could work miracles. How was the transformation of Moses' rod a demonstration of his being sent by Jehovah, when the magicians apparently produced the very same credentials of a supernatural ability? Nay, the magicians, in the first contest, if a real miracle was wrought on their side, no matter by what power, would appear not only to have imitated, but to have exceeded Moses; having the advantage over him in the number of their miracles. For to human view they turned not only one rod into a serpent, which was all that Moses had hitherto done, but they turned their several rods into serpents. Now why was Moses to be credited on account of a single miracle, if it were contradicted and overborne by several miracles fully equal to it? After the conversion of the rods, it is true, Moses' serpent swallowed up those of the magicians; but this after victory, however splendid, could not retrieve the credit of the former defeat. It could not establish the validity of the proof, from the change of his rod, which he had appealed to in the beginning as a decisive testimony in favor of his claims. We seem therefore to be shut up to the necessity of seeking for a still more satisfactory solution of the difficulties involved in the case of the Egyptian magicians. Our conclusion, on the whole, is the same with that of Dr. Dwight, as expressed in his 'Theology' (Serm. LX, on the Miracles of Christ), that the magicians wrought no miracles. All that they did was to busy themselves with their enchantments, by which every man now knows that, although the weak and credulous may be deceived, miracles cannot possibly be accomplished. but they could not; the words being We proceed, therefore, to state the grounds of this interpretation, and in doing it we regret that, from its depending so entirely upon the idiomatic structure of the Hebrew, the mere English reader will not perhaps be able fully to appreciate its force. We will endeavor to make it, however, if not demonstrable, at least intelligible.-It is a canon of interpretation of frequent use in the exposition of the sacred writings, that verbs of action sometimes signify merely the will and endeavor to do the action in question. Thus Ezek. 24. 13, 'I have purified thee, and thou wast not purged ;' i. e. I have endeavored, used means, been at pains, to purify thee. John 5. 44, 'How can ye believe which receive honor one of another;' i. e. endeavor to receive. Rom. 2. 4. 'The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ;' i. e. endeavors or tends to lead thee. Amos, 9. 3, 'Though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea;' i. e. though they aim to be hid. 1 Cor. 10. 33, 'I please all men ;' i. e. endeavor to please. Gal. 5. 4, 'Whosoever of you are justified by the law;' i. e. seek and endeavor to be justified. Ps. 69. 4, They that destroy me are mighty;' i. e. that endeavor to de-wrought upon Aaron's rod that the mastroy me. Eng. 'That would destroy me.' Acts, 7. 26, 'And set them at one again;' i. e. wished and endeavored. Eng. ' would have set them.' The passage before us we consider as exhibiting a usage entirely analogous. They also did in like manner with their enchantments,' i. e. they endeavored to do in like manner; just as in ch. 8. 18, it is said, 'And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, gicians were called for by Pharaoh, and as they would learn from the summons itself the object for which they were called into the royal presence, as well as the character of the miracle that had been wrought, they would of course have time to make all the necessary preparations for playing off an illusion upon the senses of the spectators by their semblances of ser pents, |