Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 33 · Questions · Question 18 – Question 22
QUEST. XVIII. Why the Lord spake to Moses in a cloud.
Vers. 9. THe cloudie pillar descended. 1 Tostatus thinketh that the reason why the Angell of God spake unto Moses in a cloud, was this: because he tooke upon him an humane bodie, quia hoc erat convenientius ad edendum voces, which was most fit to frame a voice by: and to the end that the people should not see this humane shape, the Angell was hid in the cloud. But, the cloud being lightsome and cleere, which as a pillar of fire gave light unto the campe in the night; if there had been any such humane shape, it would have been seene in that bright bodie: beside, it was not an Angell, but God himselfe that talked with Moses face to face, vers. 11. who could frame a voice without any such assuming of an humane bodie.
2. Ab. Ezra thinketh that the cloud is said here to descend, because the Lord did apply himselfe, and so descended as it were to Moses capacitie: as a learned man, that readeth to the simple, doth frame his speech to their understanding. But although the Lord in himselfe, being an infinite spirit, cannot bee said properly to ascend, or descend, yet because this cloud was a materiall and sensible thing, it may be said properly to descend, Tostatus, quaest. 10.
3. Rupertus maketh this mysticall application of the cloud descending: Nemo reconciliari potest, nisi per istam columnam nubis, per istam carnem, &c. That no man can be reconciled unto God, but by this pillar of the cloud▪ that is, by that flesh wherein all fulnes of the Godhead dwelled bodily, Lippoman thus also applieth it, that, as Moses entred, the cloud covered the Tabernacle; so when Christ entred into that Tabernacle, not made with hands, nube susceptus est, he was taken up in a cloud, Ferus maketh this morall use: Debemus in ostio tabernaculi, post eum aspicere; Wee must in the doore of these tabernacles of our bodies look after him: that is, be readie as at the doore to follow him, and to lay aside these earthly tabernacles, when the Lord calleth.
4. This cloud descended, both for more reverence and maiestie, because they were not able to behold Gods glorie, Gallas. as Christ was taken up in a cloud, that his Disciples should not gaze after him into heaven: likewise, it was fittest both to shelter them and conduct them: and typically shewed, that they saw, but as in a cloud and darkly: the cleere light being reserved for the comming of Christ.
QUEST. XIX. How the Lord spake to Moses, face to face.
Vers. 11. THe Lord spake unto Moses face to face, &c. And yet afterward vers. 20. the Lord saith, thou canst not see my face. 1. Augustine doth thus reconcile these places: in the first he speaketh, de oculis mentis, of the eyes of the minde, whereby wee see God: in the other, hee sheweth, corporeis oculit neminem videre Deum, that no man can see God with bodily eyes. But Gods essence, as it is, no creature can see at all: E…us substantiam, neque hominum, neque Angelorum, sicut est, quisquam videre potuit; The substance of God as he is, neither any man or Angell can see: and therefore the Apostle calleth, him, the King immortall, invisible, 1. Timoth. 1.17. Gloss. ordinar.
2. Some thinke that God appeared here in an hamane shape; and therefore hee is said to have spoken with him face to face: but the face of God, his divine essence, hee could not see, Osiander. So also Tostastus saith, that the Angell here assumed a bodie, which was hid in the cloud, and so he spake face to face. But if Moses had at any time seene any such assumed face or countenance, it is most like he did in the mount, where he had the most glorious vision: but there was no image to be seene, Deut. 4.15.
3. Cajetane and Oleaster say, that God here, non videbatur, was not seene face to face, but loquebatur facie ad faciem, hee spake face to face, as one friend with another, tanquam duobus in tenebris colloquentibus amicis, as when two friends talke together in the darke, and see not one another: as the Chalde paraphrast readeth, that God talked with him, verbo ad verbum, word to word: and so it is to bee referred to the Lords familiar speech, not to his familiar sight, which is afterward denied. But Iacob saith, Gen. 32. that he had seene God face to face; therefore this phrase is referred as well to the sight, as to the hearing.
4. The Hebrewes give this solution: that Moses is denied, totaliter, to see wholly the face of God: but he did see him, interposita quadam caligine, some mist being put between. But one friend doth not put a vaile upon his face, when hee talketh with his friend: as the Lord is here said to talke with Moses: the divine essence Moses could not in that mortall state see at all.
5. Thomas thinketh that it is spoken, secundum opinionem hominum, according to the opinion of men; because Moses might thinke, that hee had spoken to him face to face. But if Moses had thought here, that he had seene God face to face, hee would not have desired to see his face afterward.
6. Wherfore, by this phrase is only meant, that cleere revelation, which the Lord shewed to Moses more than to any other; so that it is spoken comparatively: to other Prophets the Lord will speake by vision and dreame, but to Moses, mouth to mouth, Num. 1….8. Simler. He spoke to him face to face, valde familiariter, very familiarly, his divine essence he could not see, as the Lord answereth him afterward, vers. 20. Lyranus. As a friend imparteth to a friend his secret… and counsell: so, Deus non abscondebat ab illo consilium, God did not hide from him his counsell, Rupertus. The face of God is the knowledge of God: Cognoscitur Deus per speculum, cognoscitur per seipsum; God is knowne as by a face in a glasse, he is seene by himselfe; in a glasse here, in himselfe in heaven, Gregor. Moses saw God here as in a glasse, but as he is in himselfe he could not see him.
But it will be objected, that Iacob also saw God face to face, therefore he saw as much as Moses: but the meaning onelyonly is, that God appeared there to Iacob more manifestly than before: sed pro ipsius gradu & mensura; but according to his degree, and in measure, Gallas. Marbach.
Burgensis hath another answer: that he which spake with Iacob face to face, was an Angell: he is called Elohim, which name is given unto Angels, as well as unto God: but here, he that spake with Moses is called Iehovah, which name is proper and peculiar unto God. But, in as much as that Angels name was ineffable, for Iacob desired to know it, but it was not declared unto him, it is certaine that it was Christ himselfe, who in hmmane shape there wrestled with Iacob: and therefore I preferre the former answer.
QUEST. XX. Why Ioshua is here called a yong man.
Vers. 11. HIs servant Ioshuah a yong man. 1. Ioshua was not in respect of his yeeres a yong man, but was at the least at this time 43. yeeres old, as Simlerus collecteth, for he lived after this fortie yeeres during the sojourning of Israel in the desart, and afterward was Captaine and Governour of the people 27. yeeres: which all make together 100. and 10. which was the whole age of Ioshuah. But allowing unto Ioshuah 17. yeeres of government only, as Iunius, which is more probable; then Ioshuah was 53. yeeres old at this time. And it is evident, that Ioshuah was of good yeeres and experience, who was before made Captaine of the warres against Amalek, chap. 17.
2. And that Ioshuahs time of government was not 27. but only 17. yeeres, may bee thus gathered: from the going out of Israel out of Egypt unto the fourth yeere of Salomons raigne, are 480. yeeres, 1 King. 6.1. which are thus gathered, fortie yeeres in the wildernesse, the Judges make. 299. yeeres; Eli, Samuel and Saul 80. David 40. of Samomons reigne there must be counted foure: there want only 17. yeeres to make up the former summe of 480. which time must be given unto Ioshuahs government, and no more.
3. He is therefore called a young man, foreign nagnar, not so much with relation to his manners, because he was integer, an upright man and innocent, without guile or fraud, Simler. Cajetane: or in respect of his service or attendance: as sometime in that sense, puer, a lad, is taken for a minister, as Iun. Oleaster, Tostatus: for there is another word meshartho, which signifieth, his minister, Lippoman. But it either may be taken here pro discipulo, for a disciple, or scholar: as our blessed Saviour after his resurrection, said to h…s Disciples, children, or lads, have ye any meat, Ioh. 21. Lippoman: or else he is called juvenis respectu Mosis, a young man in respect of Moses; Lyranus.
QUEST. XXI. Whether Ioshuah is here understood not to have departed from the Tabernacle.
Vers. 11. DEparted not out of the Tabernacle. 1. The most doe understand this of Ioshuah, that he departed not out of the Tabernacle. But after the Lord was departed from Moses, and the cloud removed, m…nebat ibi ad custodiam ▪ he remained there to keepe it, Oleaster: ne cui pateret accessus homini aut bestiae, that none should come neere it, man or beast, Tostat. qu. 11.
2. Upon this ground they further make Ioshuah a type of Christ, qui semper in conspectu Dei intercedit pro nobis, who is alwaies in the fight of God to make intercession for us, Osiander. Rupertus maketh Ioshua a figure of the Gospell, as Moses signifieth the Law: Spiritus vivi…icans à tabernaculo, cujus pontifex Christus non recedit: The quickning spirit doth never depart from the Tabernacle, the high Priest whereof is Christ: which spirit the Law hath not. Gloss. interlin. applieth Ioshuahs continuall being in the Tabernacle, unto Christs promise, that he would be with his Disciples to the end of the world.
3. Some hereupon further note, that Aaron quasi sacerdotio suo privatur, Aaron is for the time deprived as it were of his priesthood, and the keeping of the Tabernacle committed to Ioshua; Simler. Pelarg.
4. But all these collections are grounded upon the false interpretation of the text: for this last clause must be referred unto the Lord, mentioned in the beginning of the verse, not unto Ioshua, for over the word foreign, nagnar, is the distinction rebiah, which doth distinguish, and divide it from the sentence following. So that thus the sentence must bee read: When Moses returned into the host, and his servant Ioshua, a yong man: hee departed not from the middest of the Tabernacle: that is, God, who was present in the visible signe of the cloud, Iun. The meaning then is, that the cloud departed not from the Tabernacle, which was without the campe; whereby the Lord signified that he would not go among them, as he had said, vers. 3. And seeing Moses could not enter into the Tabernacle, while the cloud was thereon, chap. 40. how is it like that Ioshua could abide there continually. And further, whereas only Moses and Ioshua, as Cajetane noteth, were admitted to come unto the Tabernacle, quia soli immunes erant à peccato populi, because they onelyonly were free from the sinne of the people: it was fit that Ioshua should attend upon Moses, being his Minister, and that Moses should not go, and returne alone into the campe.
5. Procopius so understandeth it, as that Ioshua intra castra se continet, did keepe himselfe within the campe, because he was yet but a young man▪ and not perfect, and so not fit to be admitted to the colloquie or speech of God. But Ioshua neither stayed in the campe, when Moses went forth to the Tabernacle; neither yet is it to bee supposed to have stayed behind in the Tabernacle when Moses returned, but he did accompanie him, and attend upon him, both to and from the Tabernacle.
6. The Tabernacle needed no keeper, God shewing there continually evident signes of his presence, the cloud by day resting upon the Tabernacle, and fire there appearing by night.
QUEST. XXII. When the Lord thus said to Moses.
Vers. 12. THen Moses said unto the Lord. 1. Tostatus admitteth, that all this which followeth to the end of the chapter, is set downe in the same order of time, as it was done, and that there is no anticipation of the historie, as there is before from these words in the fourth verse, And when the people heard, &c. unto these words, vers. 12. Then Moses said to the Lord: and he yeeldeth three reasons, why the historie is transposed in the former place, and not in this. 1. Because in the beginning of the next chapter there is a word of coherence, deinceps, afterward, which coupleth that historie, with that which goeth before. 2. The argument is continued from the 12. verse, to the end of the chapter, and so one thing hath dependance of another. 3. The historie must not be transposed without great necessitie, for then we shall have no certaintie in Scripture, in what order any thing was done.
Contra. As these reasons may well be admitted, for the consequence and coherence of the rest which followeth in this chapter, that the things here rehearsed were done before Moses was called up with the second tables, so they serve as well to prove, that the former narration, from vers. 4. to vers. 12. which Tostatus thinketh to have been done after Moses comming downe from the mount, is set in order according to the time of the doing, and went before Moses going up the second time into the mount: 1. There is the same word of coherence used in the beginning of the 12. verse, vaiomer, and Moses said, which beginneth the next chapter, vaiomer, and the Lord said. 2. There is also a coherence of the matter and argument: for Moses having shewed how the Tabernacle, where was Gods visible presence, was without the host, which was a signe of the Lords departure from the people: now Moses entreateth the Lord, that he would returne unto his people, and that his presence might go with them. 3. Neither is there any necessitie, why the former historie should be imagined to be transposed: and therefore according to Tostatus owne conclusion, Semper est accipienda quaelibet litera, &c. Every place of Scripture must be taken according to that order wherein it is set downe, without any anticipation, or recapitulation: nisi ex litera ipsa, vel ali…de demonstr…tur, &c. unlesse by the letter it selfe, or otherwise it may be shewed, that it is otherwise to be taken, Tostat, qu. 13.