A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 10 – Chapter 11
CHAP. X.
Verſ. 5. ANd they ſhall eat the reſidue of that which is eſcaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, &c.]
Hereby it appeareth that it was ſome good time after the plague of hail ere theſe locuſts were ſent, to wit, when the wheat and the rie might be deſtroyed, which when the hail fell were not yet grown up, chap. 9. 32. and the like we muſt hold concerning the other plagues.
Verſ. 6. Which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers fathers have ſeen, &c.]
The meaning of this is not that they had never before ſeen locuſts in Egypt (for all Hiſtories witneſſe that Egypt is often troubled with locuſts) but that they had never ſeen ſuch multitudes of them, nor any that did ſo much miſchief as theſe ſhould do.
Verſ. 7. How long ſhall this man be a ſnare unto us?]
This word, Snare, uſually ſignifieth the means of deſtruction. See chap. 23. 33. They ſhall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee ſinne againſt me: for if thou ſerve their gods, it will ſurely be a ſnare unto thee. Joſh. 23. 13. They ſhall be ſnares and traps unto you, and ſcourges in your ſides, and thorns in your eyes, untill you periſh, &c. and ſo the word is taken here.
Verſ. 10. Let the Lord be ſo with you, as I will let you go, &c.]
This is ſpoken ſcoffingly, expreſſing his firm reſolution that they ſhould not all go, as they deſired, and that by way of ſcorn and deriſion, Let the Lord be ſo with you, as I will let you go: as if he ſhould have ſaid, May your great God you boaſt of be with you, and proſper you, if I conſent to this which you deſire of me; you have a high opinion of your mighty God, and what great things he will do for you; if I let you go upon thoſe terms that you propound, let it be thought that your God was with you, and that he delivered you.
Look to it, for evil is before you.]
That is, ready to fall upon you. Some expound this to have been ſpoken by way of reproof, as underſtanding by evil, the evil purpoſe of the Iſraelites; evil is before you, that is, though you pretend onelyonly a deſire to go a little way to offer ſacrifice, yet you have a wicked fraudulent intention her…in, even to carrie away this whole people from being under my government: but doubtleſſe it is rather ſpoken by way of threatning, and by evil is meant the evil he would do to them, if they would not accept the favour now proffered them, but perſevere to require of him: Look to it, (ſaith he) for evil is before you; if you trouble me further I ſhall make you ſmart for it.
Verſ. 13. The east-wind brought the locusts.]
Or graſhoppers, and with them caterpillars, Pſal. 78. 46. He gave alſo their increaſe unto the caterpillar, and labour to the locust: Pſal. 105. 34, 35. He ſpake, and the locuſts came, and caterpillars, and that without number, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.
Verſ. 16. I have ſinned againſt the Lord your God, and against you.]
To wit, againſt Moſes and Aaron, by uſing them ſo ſcornfully and reprochfully, by threatning them for the faithfull diſcharge of their dutie, and driving them away out of his preſence, as in the 10. and 11. verſes; or elſe the Iſraelites in generall, by the cruel bondage under which he had held them, and by refuſing to diſmiſſe them, and to grant them that libertie of going forth to ſerve the Lord, which by Moſes and Aaron they had ſo often deſired of him.
Verſ. 17. Now therefore I pray thee forgive me my ſinne onelyonly this once.]
That is, pardon the wrong I have done you, and procure that the Lord may not further be offended with me; and if this be done this once, I require no more; for if I fail you any more, and not do what I promiſe, I deſire not that you ſhould ever any more afford me the leaſt favour. Yet withall we muſt know, that the main thing which Pharaoh intended in deſiring that his ſinne might be forgiven, was that the plague might be taken away, which now lay upon them: for he was farre from a ſincere deſire of reconciliation with …od▪
Verſ. 17. Intreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death onelyonly.]
That is, this deadly plague or deſtruction. And ſo he calls this plague of the locuſts, not onelyonly becauſe it killed and deſtroyed all the fruit of the ground, but alſo eſpecially becauſe by this means it deprived them of that which was to be food both for man and beaſt; it was likely if it continued to bring a grievous famine, and ſo death and mortalitie amongſt them. As for that opinion of ſome Expoſitours, that theſe locuſts with their biting killed even men themſelves, it is altogether uncertain, and cannot be concluded from theſe words. Yet probable it is, that there were ſometimes in thoſe countreys ſome kind of locuſts that killed men with their biting, and that therefore Rev. 9. 5. it is ſaid of thoſe cruel enemies of the Church, that are compared to locuſts aſcending out of the bottomleſſe pit, that, their torment was as the torment of a ſcorpion when he ſtriketh a man.
Verſ. 21. Even darkneſſe which may be felt.]
The darkneſſe threatned is here called darkneſſe that may be felt, either by way of an hyperbole to ſignifie what an exceeding great darkneſſe it ſhould be, or elſe becauſe the aire ſhould be ſo thickned with groſſe miſts and vapours, that it might be felt; which in ſuch an extraordinary horrid darkneſſe as that was might indeed well be.
Verſ. 23. They ſaw not one another, neither roſe any from his place for three dayes.]
They ſaw not one another, becauſe neither it ſeems had they any light by ſunne moon or ſtarres from above, nor yet from fire or candle beneath, the thick clouds wherewith the aire was darkned being ſuch, that either they did put out the fire; or at leaſt wholly hide and cover it from the ſight of men. And being thus deprived of all light whatſoever, and that by a divine hand of judgement, no marvell though with the terrour thereof, they durſt not ſo much as move from the places where they were, as is here expreſſed. How eaſily the Iſraelites, that had light in their dwellings, might have gone away with all that they had, whileſt the Egyptians lay thus for three dayes together impriſoned in darkneſſe, we may eaſily conceive; but they had learnt to depend and wait upon God, and would not ſtirre but by his appointment.
Verſ. 24. And Pharaoh called unto Moſes, and ſaid, &c.]
Pharaohs ſending for Moſes, and charging him not to ſee his face any more, ver. 28. argue plainly that this was done after the three dayes darkneſſe was over. But is it likely that when the plague was removed he would relent? To which I anſwer, And is it likely that lying bound in the chains of darkneſſe he would not have yielded to let the cattel go, or at leaſt have deſired the help of Moſes prayers as at other times?
OnelyOnly let your flocks, and your heards be ſtayed.]
And this he deſired chiefly that they might be as pledges of their return again.
Verſ. 28. I will ſee thy face again no more.]
That therefore which follows in the next chapter, concerning the death of their firſt-born, was ſpoken immediately by Moſes at this time before he went from Pharaoh, and therefore it is ſaid, chap. 11. 8. that he went out in a great anger.
CHAP. XI.
Verſ. 1. ANd the Lord ſaid unto Mo…es yet …ill… I bring on… plag…e more upon Pharaoh.]
That is, the Lord had ſaid unto Moſes, yet will I bring &c. for this meſſage Moſes r…ceived from the Lord immediately, before Pharaoh ſent laſt for him chap 10. 24. when he charged him not to ſee his face any more; and it is here added as the g…ound of Moſes confidence in anſwering ſo readily as we have it in the laſt verſe of the former chapter, that he would come to him no more; the reaſon was, becauſe God had before that laſt coming to Pharaoh told him this which is here recorded. It is true, God had told Moſes at firſt ſomewhat of the Iſraelites borrowing of the Egyptians jewels of ſilver and gold, Exod. 3. 21, 22. And it ſhall come to paſſ… that when y… go, ye ſhall not go empty, but every woman ſhall borrow of h…r n…ighbour, and of her that ſo…ou…neth in her houſe jewels of ſi…ver, and jewels of gold, &c. as alſo of this plague of ſlaying their firſt-born, Exod. 4. 23. Let my ſonn… go that he may ſerve me; and if thou refuſe to let him go, behold I will ſlay thy ſonne, even …hy firſt-born. But this meſſage which is here related, he received from the Lord immediately before that his laſt going to Pharaoh, whereof mention is made in the 24. verſe of the former chapter: and therefore he ſaith, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, &c.
Verſ. 3. The man Moſes was very great in the land of Egypt, in the ſight of Pharaohs ſervants, &c.]
Implying tha…the reverend eſteem the Egyptians had of Moſes was a furtherance to the enclining of their hearts thus to lend their jewels to the Hebrews.
Verſ. 4. And Moſes ſaid, Thus ſaith the Lord, &c.]
That is, immediately after he had told him that he would ſee his face no more, chap. 10. ver. 29.
Verſ. 5. Even unto the firſt-born of the maid-ſervant that is behind the mill.]
That is, grinding at the mill: ſe… chap. 12. 29. Now thoſe that did thus work at the mill were ſaid to be behind it, becauſe they uſed to thruſt the mill before them as they wrought.
Verſ. 7. But againſt any of the children of Iſrael ſhall not a dog move his tongue.]
Which yet are wont to bark in the night at the leaſt noiſe: The ſpeech is proverbiall, and ſignifies that they ſhould not have the leaſ… diſturbance among them, but ſhould all quie…ly take their reſt in their beds. This is ſpoken as it were in oppoſition that which Moſ…s had immediately▪ before ſaid concerning the Egyptians; when as there ſhould be a great cry amongſt them becauſe of the death of their firſt-born, amongſt the Iſraelites all ſhould be ſtill and quiet, not ſo much as a dog ſhould amongſt them move his tongue▪ either againſt man or beaſt.