Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
1, Moses is made Pharohs God, and Aaron his Prophet. 3. Pharaohs heart should bee heardned against their words and signes. 6, Moses and Aaron doe a they are bidden. 7, Their age. 10. Aarons rod is turned to a Serpent. 11, The Sorcerers doe the like. 13, Pharaohs heart is hardned. 14, Moses is sent againe unto him with word and signe. 19, The waters of Egypt are turned into blood. 21, The fishes dye. 22, The Magicians doe the like miracle, whereupon Pharaoh is hardned still.
AND Iehovah said unto Moses; See, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall bee thy Prophet. Thou shalt speake all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speake unto Pharaoh, that he send the sonnes of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaohs heart; and will multiply my signes and my wonders in the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you; and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and wil bring forth mine armies, my people the sonnes of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgements. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Iehovah, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt: and I will bring out the sonnes of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as Iehovah commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore yeeres old, and Aaron fourescore and three yeeres old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. And Iehovah sayd unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying; When Pharaoh shall speake unto you saying, Give a wonder for you, then thou shalt say unto Aaron, take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, it shall be (turned) to a dragon. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as Iehovah had commanded: and Aaron cast his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it was (turned) to a dragon. And Pharaoh also called the wise men, and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did with their inchantments so. And they cast down every man his rod, and they were turned to dragons: and Aarons rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaohs heart waxed strong, and hee hearkened not unto them, as Iehovah had spoken. And Iehovah said unto Moses; Pharaohs heart is heavy; he refuseth to send away the people. Go unto Pharaoh in the morning; loe, he goeth out unto the waters, and thou shalt stand to meet him by the rivers brinke: and the rodde which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. And thou shalt say unto him; Iehovah the God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Send away my people, that they may serve mee in the wildernesse: and behold thou hast not heard hitherto. Thus saith Iehovah; in this thou shalt know that I am Iehovah: behold, I smite with the rod which is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, & they shall bee turned into blood. And the fish which is in the river, shall dye, and the river shall stinke, and the Egyptians shall bee wearied to drinke the waters of the river. And Iehovah said unto Moses; Say unto Aaron, take thy rod, and stretch out thy hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streames, upon their rivers and upon their ponds, and upon every gathering together of their waters, and they shall be bloud; and there shall be blood in all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did as Iehovah commanded; and he lift up the rodde, and smote the waters which were in the river, in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, and all the waters which were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish which was in the river dyed, and the river stanke, and the Egyptians could not drinke the waters of the river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so by their inchantments: and the heart of Pharaoh waxed strong, and hee hearkned not vntounto them, as Iehovah had said. And Pharaoh turned, and went into his house; and hee set not his heart to this neither. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for waters to drinke, for they could not drinke of the waters of the river. And seven daies were fulfilled, after that Iehovah had smitten the river.
Annotations.
MAde] or, given thee for a God: that is, one to whom the word of God shall come, and by whom it shall be made knowne unto Aaron, and so to Pharaoh. This reason Christ rendreth of the like speech, Ioh. 10. 35. The Chaldee, for God, translateth a master: see Exod. 4. 16. Prophet] to speake for thee, (as the next verse manifesteth) the Chaldee saith, thy interpreter: before, God called him his mouth, Exod. 4. 16. A Prophet hath the name of speaking or interpreting Gods word: see the notes on Gen. 20. 7. Thus God confirmes Moses, against his feares, Exod 6. 12. 30.
Ver. 2. speake] the Greeke addeth, to him, meaning Aaron, as Exod. 4. 15.
Vers. 3. harden] as before he said, he would make strong: Exod. 4. 21. wonders] or, perswadingmiracles, for to draw men to beleeve and obey, as Deut. 13. 1. 2. Ioh. 4. 48. Rom. 15. 18. 19. By such God beareth witnesse to his word preached, Heb 2. 4. and they portend, either good, 2 Chron. 32. 24. or evill, Deut. 6. 22. and 28. 46. yet can they not perswade any without the speciall grace of God, Deut. 29. 2. 3. 4.
Vers. 4. lay] Hebrew, give my hand; which the Chaldee expoundeth, lay my powerfull plague: so verse 5. armies] or hosts: see Exod. 6. 26. The Greeke translateth, with my power.
Ver. 7. old] Hebrew some of 80 yeere: of which phrase see Gen. 5. 32. By this it appeareth Moses had beene 40. yeeres in the land of Madian: as Stephen avoucheth, Act 7. 30. See Exod. 2. 23.
Ver. 9. a wonder] or, perswading miracle, that I may know ye are sent of God: see verse 3. The Greeke addeth, a signe or a wonder. thy rod] because Aaron now used it: before it was Moses rod and Gods: Exod. 4. 2. 20. a dragon] that is a great serpent: and therefore in ver. 15. it is called a serpent; as also before in Exod. 4. 3. So the Devill is called the dragon the old serpent. Rev. 20. 2. And Pharaoh himselfe, with his Egyptians, are called dragons, Ezek. 29. 3. Psal. 74. 13. But this wonder was a signe of their destruction, if they obeyed not: for the desolation of a Countrey is signified, by the dwelling of dragons there, Mal. 1. 3. Esay 13. …0. 22. Psal. 44. 20. See also the notes on Exodus 4. 3.
Vers. 11. wise men] Philosophers: of these see Genesis 41. 8. sorcerers,] or; witches: such as do bewiteh the senses and minds of men, by changing the formes of things to another hue. And from the Hebrew Cashaph, (which hath the signification of changing or turning) the Greekes have formed their word Bascaino, and the Latines Fascino, which is to bewitch: & it is used for unlawfull devillish Arts and Artizens, such as Gods Law condemneth, and punisheth with death, Deut. 18. 10. Exod. 22. 18. and applyed to false teachers, and their crafts, Gal. 3. 1. Rev. 18. 23. & these Egyptian sorcerers, were types of seducers, who resist the truth, as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses, here 2 Tim. 3. 8. where Paul setteth downe the names of the chiefe of these sorcerers, as they were kept in the Iewes private records. For so to this day, in their Babylonian Thalmud, tract. Menachoth, chap. 9. they shew how Iohanne and Mamre, chiefe of the sorcerers of Egypt, withstood and mocked Moses, saying, thou bringest straw into Aphraim, (as water into the sea;) for they thought, he did his miracles by sorcerie, whereas the land of Egypt was full of sorcerers. This Mamre, was also an Amoritish name, Gen. 13. 18. called in Greeke Mambree; and by Paul Iambres, in 2 Tim. 3. 8. where the Syriacke writeth Ianbres: for letters are often changed euen in the same tongue, as Merodach, Esay 39. 1. or Barodach, 2 King. 20. 12. Nemuel, 1 Chro. 4. 24. or, Iemuel, Exod. 6. 15. and many the like. And that not Paul onelyonly, but the Iewes commonly so named them, appeareth also by a Chaldee paraphrase of the law that goeth under the name of Ionathan; there upon this place of Exodus, their names are written Ianis and Iambres: and in another Hebrew commentarie on the Law, called Thanchuma, in fol. 40. they are named Ionos and Iombros. Among the heathens also, their memorie continued, though corrupted; for Plinie in nat. hist. lib. 30. cap. 1. speaketh of Moses and Iamnes, and Cabala (or as some read it Iotape,) whom he calleth Iewes, by whom Magicke was used. And Origen against Celsus, lib. 4. sheweth how Numenius a Pythagorean Philosopher speaketh of Moses miracles in Egypt, and his resistance by Iannes and Mambres magicians: Apuleius also a Latine Philosopher (in his second Apologie) mentioneth one Ioannes, among the chiefe Magicians: that their names as it seemeth were renowmed over all. magicians see the notes on Gen. 41. 8. inchantments] or, secret sleights, jugglings. A word not used in this sense, save here, and in verse 22. and it hath the signification; of secret and close conveyance or, of glistering like the flame of a fire or sword, as Gen. 3. 24. where with mens eyes are dazled. And by this word, God putteth difference betweene Moses miracles which were done in truth; and theirs done by flieght or sorcery: which were also figures of the signes and lying wonders, that Antichrist worketh, 2 Thessal. 2. 9. whose Church is called Egypt, Revel. 11. 8. their rods] that is, their dragons made of rods: or, if they were all turned to rods againe, it was the greater miracle. But by comparison with Exod. 4. 4. it is most likely it was a serpent till Aaron tooke it into his hand againe. And here Moses and Aaron doe overcome Iannos and Iambres at the first, in that wherin they most excelled: so they that are of God, overcome Antichrist; for greater is he that is in them, than he that is in the world, 1 Ioh. 4, 3. 4.
Vers. 13. waxed strong] or hard; both by his own impenitency, Rom. 2. 5. and Gods just worke in him, Exod. 4. 21.
Vers. 14. heavy] by reason of the hardnesse of it: and so unfit to bee lifted up unto the obedience of my word. This heauinesse when it is spoken of eies, eares, hands, heart, or the like; signifieth the dulnesse and unfitnesse to do that which men ought: Gen 48. 10. Zach. 7. 11. Exod. 17. 12. Luk. 21. 34. And this in Pharaoh is after said, both to bee done of himselfe, Exod. 8. 32. and of God, Exod. 10. 1.
Vers. 17. I smite:] Aaron it was that smote, vers. 19. but God by Moses commanded it: therefore he principally smote, and the rod is said to bee in his hand. The Scripture somtime explaineth this; as, he called, Matt. 20. 32. that is, he commanded to be called, Mar. 10. 49. and he gave, Mar. 15. 45. that is, he commanded to be given, Matt. 27. 58. See also the notes on Gen. 39. 22. and 48. 22. And God fore-telleth the plague before hee brings it, to wame him in merciemercy: but useth the time present, I smite, (or, am smiting:) to signifie judgement to bee at hand. So Exod. 8. 2.
Ver. 18. be wearied:] both by digging round about the river for waters, as vers. 24. and being grieved and loathing the waters turned to blood, which they shall not be able to drinke; as in vers. 21. and so the Greek here translateth, they shall not bee able to drinke. And this plague being threatned to the Egyptians onelyonly: it is to be thought, the Israelites in Gosen were free frō this, as from other plagues following, Exod. 8. 22. and 9. 26. and 10. 23. And so the Hebrew Doctors say, the plague of blood, was blood to the Egyptians, and water to the Israelites: R. Elias in Sepher reshith chocmah, treat. of Love, ch. 7. Here God proceedeth in his worke, from signes and wonders, to plagues and punishments: tenne whereof he bringeth upon Egypt before the Israelites were let goe out of their bondage, (as there are seven plagues, wherewith the spirituall Egypt of Antichrists church is smitten, in Revelat. 16.) These ten plagues, the Hebrew Doctors summe up in tenne letters, the first of all their names, foreign whereby they meane,
Blood: Frogs: and Lice: a Mixed swarme:
Murraine that beasts annoyd:
Boyles: Haile: and Locusts: Darknesse thicke:
and First-borne all destroy'd.
Vers. 19. gathering together] that is, place of gathering, as the Chaldee expounds it: the word which is used in Gen. 1. 10. and implieth lakes, peoples, pits, ditches, and vessels: as after is explained in the end of this verse. See also Levit. 11. 36. vessels] this word is expressed in the Chaldee, and is necessarily implyed in the Hebr. as a thousand, 2 Sam. 8. 4. for a thousand charrets, 1 Chron. 18. 4. the first, Mat. 26. 17. for, the first day, Mar. 14. 12. and many the like.
Vers. 20. he lift up] the Greeke explaineth it, Aaron lift up his rod. to blood:] as the Egyptians had shed the blood of the children of Israel, drowning them in the river, Exod. 1. 22. so in this first plague, God rewardeth that, by turning their waters into blood, which R. Menachem, (on this place) saith, signified mercy turned unto them to judgement. So upon the spiritually Egyptians, (by whose sinne, the third part of the sea became blood, and of other waters, became wormewood: Revel. 8. 8. 11.) there be the like plagues, from the phials (or cups) of Gods Angels, as are here by the rod of Gods messengers: their sea, rivers, and fountaines becomming blood: they having shed the blood of Saints and Prophets, and God giving them blood to drinke, for they are worthy: Revel. 16. 3. 6. Of this plague the Psalmist also speaketh, Psal. 78. 44. and 105. 29. Contrariwise, God blesseth his people, by turning for them, the rockes to rivers and fountaines of waters, Psal. 78. 15. 16. and 114. 8. and giving them the water of life to drinke, Ioh. 4. 10. 14. Rev. 22. 1. 17.
Vers. 21. died:] so in Antichrists sea, every living soule dyeth, Revel. 16. 3. as by their impietie, they had caused the third part of such to dye before, Revel. 8. 9. Contrariwise, in the holy land, corrupt waters are healed, the creatures in them live, and fish are multiplied, Ezek. 47. 8. 9. stunke] whereas the waters of Egypt served them for drinke, Ierm. 2. 18. (there being no raine in the Countrey, Deut. 11. 10. 11.) God turning them to stinking blood, and killing the fish: the plague was the more grievous. For fishes were their common food, Numb. 11. 5. the flesh of many beasts, they through superstition would not eate of, Exodus 8. 26. so that which the Prophet after threatneth, was now upon them; The fishers mourned, and all they that cast angle into the brookes lamented: and they that spread nets upon waters languished, Esay 19. 8.
Vers. 22. did so] as before in verse 11. They could by inchantments increase their owne plagues; but not ease themselves: see Exodus 8. 7. 8. But where had they water to turne into blood? either they found some by digging about the river, verse 24. or they had some fetched from another place, as Gosen; see the notes on v. 18. wexed strongs] the Greeke saith, was hardened: see verse 13.
Vers. 23. set not] that is, regarded not, nor cared for this wondrous plague: so the setting of the heart signifieth carefull regard, Exod. 9. 21. Prov. 22. 17. 2 Sam. 18. 3.