Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
1, Moses and Aaron doing their message to Pharaoh, are resisted and rebuked. 5, The Israelites taske increased 14, Their officers beaten. 15, Their complaints checked. 19, They crie out upon Moses and Aaron. 22, Moses complaineth unto God.
AND afterward, Moses and Aaron went in, and said unto Pharaoh; Thus saith Iehovah, the God of Israel, Send away my people, that they may keepe a feast onto me in the wildernesse. And Pharaoh said, Who is Iehovah, that I should obey his voice, to send away Israel? I know not Iehovah, neither, will I send away Israel. And they said, The God of the Hebrewes hath met with us: let us goe wee pray thee, three daies journey into the wildernesse, and sacrifice unto Iehovah our God, left hee fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. And the king of Egypt laid unto them; Wherefore doe ye Moses and Aaron, cause the people to cease from their workes? Get ye to your burthens. And Pharaoh said; Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them to rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded, in that day, the taske-masters of the people, & their officers, saying, Yee shall not any more give straw to the people, to make brickes, as heretofore: let them goe & gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the brickes, which they did make heretofore, you shall lay upon them; you shall not diminish ought thereof; for they be idle, therefore they cry out saying, Let us goe and sacrifice to our God. Let the work be made heavy upon the men, and let them labour therein, and let them not regard vaine lying words. And the taskemasters of the people went out, & their officers, and said unto the people, saying; Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Goe ye, take your straw where you can find it: yet not ought of your worke shall bee diminished. And the people was scattered abroad thorow all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble in stead of straw. And the taske-masters hasted them saying, Fulfill your workes, every daies taske in his day, as when there was straw. And the officers of the sonnes of Israel, which Pharaohs taske-masters had set over them, were beaten, saying, Wherefore have yee not fulfilled your appointed taske to make bricke, both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? And the officers of the sonnes of Israel came, and cried out unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore doest thou thus to thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, make brickes: and behold, thy servants are beaten, and it is the sinne of thy people. And he said, ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore yee say, let us goe, and sacrifice to Iehovah. Now therfore, goe worke, for straw shall not be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of brickes. And the officers of the sonnes of Israel did see them in evill, saying, Ye shall not minish ought from your brickes, every daies taske in his day. And they lighted upon Moses and Aaron, standing to meet with them, as they came forth from Pharaoh. And they said unto them; Iehovah looke upon you, and judge, because you have made our savour to stinke in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants; to give a sword into their hand, to slay us. And Moses returned unto Iehovah, and said; Lord, wherefore hast thou done evill to this people; wherefore is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh, to speake in thy name, he hath done evill to his people; and delivering thou hast not delivered thy people.
Annotations.
SEnd away] let goe out of thy servitude: see the notes on Exod. 4. 23. keepe a feast] The first signification of the Hebrew word chagag, is to dance, 1 Sam, 30. 16. or, to turne round, Psal. 107. 27. and secondly it is applied to keeping a feast religiously, which was with eating, drinking, dancing, and mirth, Iudg. 21. 19. 21. Deut. 16. 15. figuring out our spirituall joyes for redemption by Christ, 1 Cor. 5. 8. Nah. 1. 15. This should Israel have celebrated to the Lord; but they performed it to an idoll, the worke of their owne hands, Exod. 32. 6. 19. Act. 7. 41. Among the heathens, they observed also such rites, sacrificing to their Gods, with dances, &c. Sophocles in Electra. Plutarch in Theseo.
Vers. 2. Who is Iehovah] The Chaldee paraphraseth, The name of the Lord is not revealed unto mee, that I should obey his word, &c. Such an answer God foretold, that he would give, Exod. 3. 19. I know not] againe the Chaldee turneth it, the name of the Lord is not revealed unto me.
Vers. 3. hath met] See Exod. 3. 18. The Greeke translateth, hath called us. journey] or way: see Exod. 3. 18. fall upon] or meet us, as verse 20. and Gen. 32. 1. but when there is added the sword, or the like, it signifieth falling upon, as Iudg. 8. 20. 21. pestilence] or mortalitie. The Greeke and Chaldee translate it here and oftentimes, death. So the Holy Ghost putteth death, for the pestilence, in Rev. 6. 8. from Ezek. 14. 21. The Hebrewes (who had orders for fasting and prayer in time of pestilence) seeme also not to restraine it to that contagious sicknesse, which wee commonly call the pest or plague; but count all extraordinary and continued mortalitie, the pestilence; if it be among five hundred strong men, that three die in three daies one after another; and so in all number above that. Their words are; What is the Pestilence (Deber?) A citie wherein are five hundred footmen, (that is, strong and lusty men, as Exod. 12. 37.) if there goe out of it (that is, be buried) three dead men in three daies one after another; …oe, this is Deber (the pestilence.) If they goe out in one day, or in foure daies, it is not the pestilence. If there be in it a thousand, and there goe out of it sixe dead men in three daies one after another, this is the pestilence: if they goe out in one day, or in foure, it is not the pestilence. And so (in others) according to this computation. But no women, or children, or old men that have left off working, are at all reckoned for men in this case. Maimony in Mis…eh in Tagnanioth (or treat of fasting) chapter 2. S. 5. sword] this signifieth warres, Mich. 4. 3. and as the Greeke and Chaldee translate it, slaughter: the Apostle joyneth both in one, mentioning the slaughter of the sword, Hebrewes 11. 37. it was one of Gods foure sore judgements, wherewith hee used to chastise his people for their sins, Ezek. 14. 17. 21. And not the Egyptians onelyonly, but Israel might also feare these plagues, for their Idolatry in Egypt, Ezek. 20. 7. 8. Which therefore they sought to turne away, by humiliation and sacrifice to GOD in the wildernesse. And it is a rule among the Iewes, to fast and pray in the time of warre; yea though it be (as they say) the sword of peace: as when heathens make war with heathens, and they passe by the place of Israel; although there bee no warre betwixt them and Israel, yet this is a distresse, and they humble themselves for it: for it is said, and the sword shall not passe through your land, (Leviticus 26. 6.) It is a generall rule, that the sight of warre is a distresse. Maimony in Tagnanioth, chap. 2. S. 4.
Vers. 4. cease,] as free, and at liberty: the Greeke translateth, doe yee turne away the people. The Ministers of God are charged by Pharaoh, as authors of sedition among his subjects. So were Christ and his Apostles, Luke 23. 2. 5. Acts 24. 5. your burdens] The Chaldee saith, your service; the Greeke, every one of you to his workes.
Vers. 5. of the land] meaning the Israelites in the land: therefore the Greeke explaineth it thus, behold now this people is multiplied on the land.
Verse 6 taskemasters of the people] or, exactors among the people; but both Greeke and Chaldee translate it of: and so Moses speaketh in verse 10. officers] the Greeke translateth them Scribes: so in vers. 10. 14. and usually.
Verse 7 any more give] Hebrew, adde to give. Here the word of GOD caused afflictions to increase. And in Israel wee may see a figure of our calling, (for all these things hapned unto them for types, 1 Corinth. 10. 11.) they first had the word or promise, which caused them to beleeve, Exodus 4. 30. 31.) then followeth affliction, greater then ever before; which almost discourageth them, Exodus 5. 21.—23. after that came their deliverance with great glory, for which they sang the praises of GOD Exodus 13. and 14. and 15. So by the word preached, the Church of Christ was gathered, Acts 2. 41. &c. Then followed great persecution, Acts 8. 1. and 9. …. and 12. 1. &c. Against which they were confirmed in grace, by expectation of glory in the Kingdome of God, Acts 14. 2…. And this is the continuall course of the Gospell; 1 Thes. 1. 6. 10. and 2. 14. and 3. 2. 3. 4. 2 Thessal. 1. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1 Peter 1. 3.—9. and 4. 12. 13. &c. heretofore] Hebr. yesterday, and the third day before: see Gen. 31. 2. so after, vers. 8. 14. &c.
Vers. 8. idle] or, lazie: slicke: so vers. 17. and sacrifice] or, let us sacrifice: which manner of speech noteth their importunity: but the Greeke supplieth the word and. So after, vers. 17.
Vers. 9. labour] or, doe; that is, be doing, or busie themselves; and so the Chaldee saith, let them busie themselves therein, and not busie themselves in idle words: So in Matthew 20. 12. these last have done, (that is, have laboured) but one houre. Likewise in Exod. 31. 4. 5. where doing, is used for working. The Greeke here translateth it care. vaine lying words] Hebr. words of lying: which the Greeke translateth vaine words. Vanity and falshood, are used one for another, as is noted on Exod. 20. 7.
Vers. 13. taske] Hebr. word, or thing: which in this case, was their appointed taske. So verse 19.
Vers. 14. of the sonnes of Israel] that is, which were Israelites; and the Greeke explaineth it thus, the scribes of the linage of the sonnes of Israel. The taskemasters therefore, were Egyptians; the officers were Israelites, appointed to oversee and hold the people to worke; as the 15. and 16. verses also manifest: these were oppressed and beaten; so the bondage was great, and universall. saying] that is, and said unto, by Pharaohs taske masters. An Hebrew phrase, whereof see the annotations on Gen. 2. 3. and 6. 20.
Verse 16. it is the sinne, &c.] or, sinne is laid upon thy people: It may be understood of the Egyptians, as if the sinne or fault were theirs; and so the Chaldee explaineth it, Thy people sinneth against them; that is, against thy seruants the Israelites, Or, sinne (and so, punishment) is laid upon thy people, us the Israelites, without cause: and so the Greeke translateth, wilt thou therefore wrong thy people? Sinne, is often used for punishment. See Gen. 4. 7.
Vers. 19. them in evill] that is, both themselves, (as the Greeke translateth it) and the people over whom they were, to be in an evill case. saying] vnderstand from verse 13. and 18. the taskemasters, and the king also saying: or, after it was said: see verse 14.
Vers. 20. lighted upon] that is, met with as unlooked for; or fell upon them, with hard words: as verse 21. It is the word used before, in verse 3. and Gen. 28. 11.
Vers. 21. judge] the Chaldee saith, be avenged. An intemperate speech, and an example of great infirmitie; imputing the cause of their troubles, to Gods ministers; forgetting their former faith and thankefulnesse, Exod. 4. 31. to stinke] that is, as the Greeke expla…neth it, to be abhorred: see Gen. 34. 30. to give] or, and hath given: as, to hold the arke, 1 Chro. 13. 9. is expounded, and held it, 2 Sam. 6. 6.
Vers. 23. delivering thou, &c.] that is, thou hast not at all delivered, nor shewed any likelihood as yet thereof. And here Moses himselfe bewraieth the remnants of his former infirmitie, Exod. 4. 10. 13.