A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Exodus · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Verſ. 3. ANd the river ſhall bring forth frogs abundantly, which ſhall go up into the houſe of thy ſervants, and upon thy people, &c.]
By expreſſing theſe perſons that ſhould be plagued with theſe frogs, the exempting of Iſrael ſeems to be implyed, as after it is plainly expreſſed, ver. 22. And I will ſever in that day the land of Goſhen in which my people dwell, &c.
Verſ. 4. And the frogs ſhall come up both on thee, &c.]
The deſpicableneſſe of the creature wherewith they were annoyed did no doubt aggravate the plague.
Verſ. 8. Intreat the Lord that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people.]
Though the turning of their water into bloud all the land over was doubtleſſe a very grievous plague, yet this of the frogs was more grievous then that: againſt the firſt they found ſome help, though not without great trouble, by digging for freſh water round about the river, chap. 7. 24. and perhaps Pharaoh and the richer ſort of his people had other ſorts of drink in ſtore for their own uſe; but now againſt this plague of the frogs, they could find no way to help or eaſe themſelves, no not the greateſt of them all▪ and therefore this forced Pharaoh to ſtoop a little, and to deſire Moſes and Aaron to pray unto the Lord that he would take away their frogs from them.
Verſ. 9. And Moſes ſaid unto Pharaoh, Glory over me.]
The moſt conceive this to be ſpoken of the honour which ſhould be done unto Pharaoh, that he ſhould preſcribe the time himſelf when the frogs ſhould be taken away. But I rather think that it is ſuch a kind of yielding to his deſire, wherein Moſes doth alſo imply his fear concerning the event, that Pharaoh would brag and boaſt when he had got the frogs removed, and not keep promiſe with him in letting Iſrael go.
When ſhall I intreat for thee, &c.]
That is, that you may know that it is the mightie work of God, and that it is not by chance or by any naturall means that the frogs are deſtroyed, preſcribe the time your ſelf when they ſhall be deſtroyed, and at that very time it ſhall be done.
Verſ. 10. And he ſaid, To morrow.]
He was ſo loth to be beholding to God, or Moſes, that he rather chooſes to endure th… plague till next day, that he might make tryall whether they might not go away of themſelves, hoping that they came by ſome naturall cauſe, and ſo would again go away.
Verſ. 14. And they gathered them together upon heaps.]
God could have driven them into the river again, or have cauſed them to vaniſh away; but thus it pleaſed him to let them remain as a ſpectacle, unto the Egyptians, both to ſhew that it was a true miracle, and by their ill favour to put them in mind of their ſinne, that made them ſtink before God.
Verſ. 16. And the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Say unto Aaron, &c.]
Becauſe Pharaoh had mocked God, promiſing and then not performing, the Lord, to manifeſt his indignation, commands his ſervant to ſtrike now without giving him warning beforehand (as at other times) what he meant to do. Stretch out thy rod, ſaith he, and ſmite the duſt of the land, that it may become lice, &c. and thus again too he trampleth on the pride of the Egyptians, puniſhing them by ſuch baſe and contemptible creatures.
Verſ. 17. All the duſt of the land became lice, &c.]
That is, the duſt in every part of the land▪ for it is an hyperbolicall ſpeech.
Verſ. 18. And the Magicians did ſo with their inchantments to bring forth lice, and they could not.]
The Lord diſables them in making this ſmalleſt and baſeſt creature, for their greater confuſion; and ſo the folly of theſe their Wiſemen was made manifeſt to all men, 2. Tim. 3. 9.
Verſ. 20. ▪Riſe up early in the morning, and ſtand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water, &c.]
It ſeems to have been uſuall with Pharaoh in the morning to go forth unto the waters, either for his health and pleaſure, or rather of a ſuperſtitious mind, as attributing divine honour to the river Nilus. There therefore Moſes is appointed to meet him; both becauſe he had no acceſſe into Pharaohs preſence in his palace, and alſo that withall his threatning him with the enſuing plague might be the more publick.
Verſ. 21. Behold I will ſend ſwarms of flies upon thee, &c.]
That is, mixt ſwarms of waſps, hornets, and all kind of flies Pſal. 78. 45. He ſent divers ſorts of flies amongst them.
The houſes of the Egyptians ſhall be full of ſwarms of flies, and alſo the ground whereon they are.]
That is, the ground whereon the Egyptians are: the meaning is, that they ſhould be on all the land whereon the Egyptians dwelt, but not in Goſhen where the Iſraelites dwelt, as in the following verſe is expreſſed: and this exemption of Iſrael is here firſt mentioned, to put Pharaoh in mind of it, as a moſt remarkable thing, which if he would well think on muſt needs work upon his conſcience.
Verſ. 24. And the Lord did ſo; and there came a grievous ſwarm of flies, &c.]
Here is no mention of Aarons rod, and happely there was no uſe made of it, that Pharaoh might ſee the work was Gods and not mans.
Verſ. 25. Go ye, ſacrifice to your God in the land.]
That is, in the land of Egypt: being terrified with this fourth plague of the ſwarms of flies, that were ſent amongſt them, Pharaoh yields at firſt thus farre, that they ſhould go and ſacrifice unto the Lord, ſo that they went not out of Egypt. And hereby it is evident that during the time of their bondage in Egypt the Iſraelites were not ſuffered openly to offer ſacrifice to the Lord, but what they did this way they did in private ſecretly; as indeed it is not likely that all the time of their being in Egypt they did wholly neglect this duty of Gods worſhip and ſervice.
Verſ. 26. For we ſhall ſacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God, &c.]
That is, that which the Egyptians abhorre to have ſacrificed: the beaſts which they worſhipped, they could not endure to kill, or ſee them killed for ſacrifice; and theſe were ſuch as the Iſraelites were to offer up in ſacrifice, namely bullocks (and the Egyptians worſhipped a certain pyed bull or calf, called Apis) and alſo ſheep and rammes, as we may ſee, Gen. 46. 34. For every ſhepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.