A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
Verſ. 2. SAnctifie unto me all the firſt-born, &c.]
That is, make known unto my people that they are to be put apart to holy uſes for me and my ſervice. Now the firſt-born were thus conſecrated as a kind of firſt-fruits, to ſignifie that all Gods people, which are a congregation of firſt-born, being redeemed from death by the bloud of Chriſt, were bound to conſecrate themſelves to the ſervice of the Lord; Rom. 12. 1. I beſeech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye preſent your bodies a living ſacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reaſonable ſervice.
Whatſoever openeth the wombe among the children of Iſrael both of man and of beaſt, it is mine.]
To wit, by a peculiar right, becauſe he preſerved them in Egypt vvhen the Egyptians vvere killed: and therefore ſuch might not be given as a vovv of freevvill offering, Levit. 27. 26. OnelyOnly the firſtling of the beaſt, which ſhould be the Lords firſtling, no man ſhall ſanctifie it, whether it be ox or ſheep.
Verſ. 5. And it ſhall be, when the Lord ſhall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, &c.]
He mentions the goodneſſe of the land vvhichwhich he had promiſed, h at it was a land flowing with milk and hony, as a ſpurre to quicken them in Gods ſervice; and makes known that the celebrating of this ſolemnity ſhould not begin till they were entred the land of Canaan, the better to aſſure them, that though there were now ſo many ſtrong Nations dwelling in that countrey, yet they ſhould drive them out and poſſeſſe their land.
Verſ. 9. And it ſhall be for a ſigne unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memoriall between thine eyes, &c.]
That is, this feaſt of unleavened bread ſhall be as a continuall means to call to your remembrance your deliverance out of Egypt: as when men uſe to put a ring, or to tie a thread upon their fingers, or to hang jewels upon their foreheads, hanging between their eyes (a cuſtome it ſeems in thoſe times) to put them in mind of ſomething which they are very carefull not to forget.
Verſ. 13. And every firſtling of an aſſe thou ſhalt redeem with a lambe.]
That is, the firſtling of all unclean beaſts: for this one kind is put for the reſt, becauſe there were great ſtore of them in that countrey. See Numb. 8. 15. The first-born of man ſhalt thou ſurely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts ſhalt thou redeem.
And all the firſt-born of man ſhalt thou redeem.]
When and at what price, ſee Numb. 18. 16. And thoſe that are to be redeemed, from a monethmonth old ſhalt thou redeem, according to thine eſtimation for the money of five ſhekels, after the ſhekel of the ſanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
Verſ. 17. Left peradventure the people repent when they ſee warre, and they return to Egypt.]
The Philiſtines were enemies to the land of Egypt; and hence we reade that whileſt the Iſraelites lived in Egypt, in the dayes of Ephraim the ſon of Jacob, the men of Gath that were born in that land, ſlew ſome of the ſonnes of Ephraim becauſe they came down to take away their cattel, 1. Chron. 7. 21. much more therefore was it likely, that now they would deny them paſſage though their countrey. Now ſhould they ſee warre where the eaſineſſe and ſhortneſſe of the way they had gone might invite …hem to eſcape, and avoyd that trouble by a ſpeedy return back again into Egypt, it is likely the fear of the enemy would ſoon have made them turn their backs upon Canaan. To prevent this, God leads them a way where the red ſea, and troubleſome wilderneſſe, through which they had paſſed, might beat them off from attempting to return, though they ſhould meet with enemies that ſhould make warre againſt them.
Verſ. 18. And the children of Iſrael went up harneſſed out of the land of Egypt.]
Some by this word harneſſed, underſtand onelyonly that they went away girt up and prepared for their journey, as travellers uſed to do▪ But others, and I think more probably, underſtand it of their going up armed in a military order; whereto agrees alſo that Tranſlation of this word which is ſet in the margin of our Bibles, that they went up five in a rank: for conſidering 1. that the ſame word in the originall is uſed both here and Joſh. 1. 14. where it is tranſlated ye ſhall paſſe before your brethren armed; and 2. that immediately after they were in the wilderneſſe they fought with the Amalekites, I ſee not why we may not think that they went up in a military manner armed: for though they were in bondage to the Egyptians, yet being ſuch a numerous people, living together in the land of Goſhen, it is not probable that they were left wholly unfurniſhed of armes, wherewith they were to defend that part of the countrey. However the drift doubtleſſe of this place is to ſhew that they went not away in a confuſed manner, as men that fled, but that being all me… together at Succoth (a place which before they had appointed for their Rendevouz) they marched away from thence in battel-array.
Verſ. 19. And Moſes took the bones of Joſeph with him.]
Though the removing of the bones of Joſeph as chief be here onelyonly mentioned, and that becauſe of the oath that was made to him concerning this, Gen. 50. 25. Joſeph took an oath of the children of Iſrael, ſaying, God will ſurely viſit you, and ye ſhall carry up my bones from hence; yet doubtleſſe either the bones of the other Patriarchs were now carryed away with Joſephs; or elſe the Iſraelites had before when they died carryed their dead bodies out of Egypt, and buried them in Canaan, as they did Jacobs. For of all the Patriarchs Stephen ſaid. Act 7. 16. that they were carryed over into Sichem, and laid in the ſepulchre that Abraham bought for a ſumme of money of the ſonnes of Emor the father of Sichem.
Verſ. 21. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, &c.]
That is, the Lord to ſhew the Iſraelites which way they ſhould go, cauſed a cloud, the ſigne of his preſence, to go before their camp, not onelyonly by day, but alſo by night too, when they had any occaſion to travel in the night; and the faſhion of it was alwayes like that of a pillar, aſcending round and ſtraight from the earth towards the being in all other reſpects by day like other clouds, onelyonly by night it was re…d in appearance like fire, Numb. 9. 15. called therefore here, a pillar of fire: and ſo it ſerved not onelyonly to direct them which way to go (for which way ſoever that went in the forefront of the camp, the Iſraelites ſtill followed it, and when they were to ſtay in any place, then that removed backward into the middeſt of the Camp, and reſted upon the tabernacle, Numb. 9. 18.) but beſides it ſerved in the night to give them light, and in the day to cover and ſhelter them from the extremity of the ſunnes heat. He ſpread a cloud for a covering (ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 105. 39.) and fire to give light in the night: for though it aſcended up a great height in the aire ſtraight like a pillar, yet there it diſperſed it ſelf abroad, it ſeems, at leaſt when need was, like any other cloud, and ſo did ſhadow them from the ſunne (as ſmoke uſeth to do) concerning the which the like phraſe is uſed, Judg. 20. 40. The flame began to ariſe with a pillar of ſmok…. And therefore it is ſaid, Numb. 14. 14. that this cloud stood over them. Now in all theſe reſpects this figured Chriſts guidance and protection of his Church in their travels towards the heavenly Canaan; and hereto the Prophet ſeems to allude, Eſay 4. 5, 6. The Lord will create upon every dwelling place in Mount Sion, and upon her aſſemblies a cloud and ſmoke by day, and the ſhining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory ſhall be a defence.