Commentary on Exodus, Commentary · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
Verſe 1. THen ſang Moſes and the Children of Iſrael, &c.] Upon the XXIth of Niſan, as I ſaid before, which was the laſt day of Unleavened Bread; when they came ſafe through the Sea, and ſaw the Egyptians drown'd, they ſang this Song of Praiſe to God, for their wonderful Deliverance. So the conſtant Tradition of the Hebrews is, and there is great ground for it.
This Song.] Called the Song of Moſes the ſervant of the LORD, (XV Rev. 3.) becauſe he compoſed it by a Divine Inſpiration, to be ſung by all the People. And it is the moſt ancient Song of which there is any memory.
Ʋnto the LORD.] In praiſe of the Divine Power and Goodneſs; which remarkably appeared in this Deliverance.
Joſephus, L. II. c. ult. of his Antiquities, ſaith that this Song is compoſed foreign, of Hexameter Verſe: which Euſebius repreſents as the Opinion of many others, L. XI. de Praepar. Evang. c. 3. But I do not ſee how this can be made out; nor what St. Hierom ſaith concerning ſuch Songs, in many places. And after all the pains that Franc. Gomarus hath taken in his Lyra Davidis, to find of what ſort of Numbers this, and other Songs in Scripture conſiſts, he hath not given any ſatisfaction to Learned Men. Who think (as Ludov. Capellus doth in his Animadverſions on that Book) that all the Bible may be made Verſe according to his method: Nay, by his way of reſolving Sentences, all the Orations of Tully and Demosthenes may be turned into Verſe, of ſome ſort or other. The Author of Sepher Coſri ſeems to me to deal ingenuouſly, who, when the King of Coſar objects to them, that the Songs in the Bible are not artificially compoſed, according to Numbers and Quantities of Feet and Syllables, makes the Jew anſwer, That the Scripture Poetry was of a nobler ſort, not formed to tickle the Ear, but affect the Heart, by the great height and elevation of the Senſe, together with lofty Expreſſions, whereby Men were moved to attend to it, and to keep it in mind; P. II. Sect. 69. &c. And ſo much Abarbinel acknowledges upon this place, That no ſuch Verſes, conſiſting in the number and quantity of Syllables, are to be found either in the Bible, or in the Talmud, (either in the Miſchna or the Gemara) but are of later invention among the Jews, in imitation of the Arabians and other Nations among whom they dwell in this long Captivity. Yet in the Scripture Poetry, there is a certain diſpoſition of words, which make them melodious, and ſit to be ſung to Muſical Inſtruments; and ſo ſententious that they might be more eaſily remembred than ſimple Narrations: though now, after ſo many Ages, they cannot reduce this Poetry to Rules. He tries indeed to bring this Song under certain Regulations; fancying that it conſiſts of eight Orders or Ranks, (as he calls them) two of which are very ſhort, and two very long; and four of a middle ſize: which he proſecutes with much Subtilty, but with little Satisfaction.
And ſpake, ſaying, I will ſing unto the LORD, &c.] Every one joyned in this Song of Praiſe; which may be thus Paraphraſed.
Ver. 1. We will joyfully praiſe the LORD; for he hath in a most illuſtrious and magnificent manner ſhown his Power; by throwing Horſe and Men, when they little thought of it, into the Sea.
Ver. 2. It is he who hath given us this Victory, and therefore he is to be praiſed and acknowledged as our Deliverer. He is our most gracious and mighty God; for whom we will prepare a Tabernacle wherein to Worſhip him. Our Fathers had great Experience of his Goodneſs, and therefore we are the more bound to make him our most thankful Acknowledgments, and give him the highest Praiſes.
Ver. 3. There is none can ſtand before the LORD, who hath perfectly ſubdued our Enemies; and faithfully fulfilled his Promiſes to his Servants.
Ver. 4. For he hath cast Pharaoh, and all his Chariots, and great Commanders, into the Sea, as eaſily as one ſends an Arrow out of a Bow.
Ver. 5. They are buried; and ſhall riſe up no more.
Ver. 6. Thou hast manifested thy Omnipotence, O LORD, most magnificently: it was thy irreſiſtible Power, O LORD, which daſhed in pieces ſuch mighty Enemies.
Ver. 7. It was a work of thy most excellent Power; which will be ever magnified in the overthrow of ſuch Adverſaries: With whom thou no ſooner ſhowedſt thy ſelf diſpleaſed, but they vaniſhed as ſtubble doth before the ſlame.
Ver. 8. Thou didst but give the Command, and by a vehement Wind the Waters of the Sea were divided and heaped up, ſo that they ſwelled into little Mountains: and were campact like a Wall, which was upheld from falling down, till the People paſſed through the midſt of the Sea.
Ver. 9. Our Enemies purſued us with a full conſidence, that they ſhould overtake, and make a prey of us; and after they had ſatisfied their Revenge upon us, as certainly reduce us under their yoke, as they drew their Swords againſt us.
Ver. 10. But with a turn of the Wind all their vain hopes ſunk on a ſudden, together with themſelves, to the bottom of the Sea.
Ver. 11. There are none among all that are called Gods, in Heaven or in Earth, that are comparable to thee, O LORD, whoſe Perfections infinitely tranſcend all other: and therefore art to be praiſed with the greatest fear and reverence; for thy very works are wonderful, and to be had in admiration.
Ver. 12. By thy mighty Power they were buried in the bottom of the Sea; into which they ſank.
Ver. 13. And in great mercy thou hast preſerved thy People, whom thou hast brought out of Egypt, and reſcued from cruel Servitude: and conducted, by a mighty Providence, towards the holy Land which thou hast promiſed to them, there to dwell among them.
Ver. 14. And why ſhould we doubt of our coming thither? The fame of this wonder ſhall go before us, and ſtrike a terrour into the most valiant Inhabitants of that Country.
Ver. 15. Nay, all their Neighbours, as well as they, ſhall ſind their hearts fail them, and become as weak as Water.
Ver. 16. Such a terrour ſhall fall upon them, that they ſhall be no more able to ſtir than a ſtone, when they hear of this dreadful Execution: but ſuffer thy People, O LORD, to paſs to their Inheritance, which thou hast prepared for them.
Ver. 17. Thither ſhalt thou bring them, and there make them to take root in the higheſt Mountains of that Country: where thou hast deſigned a place for thine own Dwelling; of which thy Power alſo will lay the Foundation.
Ver. 18. And thou ſhalt do more Wonders; ſince thy Dominion and Power endures to all Ages.
Ver. 19. For who can dethrone Thee? Who in the ſame Sea hast made a Grave to bury the Egyptians, and a Path for thy People Iſrael to walk in, as if they had been on dry Ground.
And now having given the ſenſe of the Song in this Paraphraſe; it may be proper to confirm it, by the Explication of ſome Phraſes in it.
Ver. 1. Hath he thrown into the Sea.] The Hebrew word ramah ſignifies a ſudden Precipitation; when they were in the heigth of their hopes to overtake and ſubdue the Iſraelites.
Ver. 2. He is my God.] Though ſome think the word El to be a Contraction of Elohim; yet it ſeems to be derived from ajal, and is generally thought to import might and ſtrength. But I have taken in the other Notion of goodneſs alſo. See v. 11.
Ver. 3. Prepare him an habitation.] As if they thought a Cloud, too mean an Habitation for the Divine Glory, they reſolve to build him a Tabernacle: juſt as David, aſhamed he ſhould dwell in a Tabernacle, deſigned to build him a Temple.
My Fathers God.] i. e. Jacob's; of whom God took a ſingular care, both before and after he came into Egypt.
Ver. 3. The LORD is a Man of War.] i. e. Gets great Victories, as the Targum expreſſes it. For when the Hebrews would expreſs any eminent quality, they put the word iſch before it. As in 1 Sam. XVII. 34. we meet with this very Expreſſion concerning Goliath, a man of war from his youth; i. e. a great Warriour. And in the foregoing Chapter David is called both iſch Milchamah, a Man of War, and iſch Toar, a Man of Form or Beauty; i. e. a beautiful or comely Perſon, as we tranſlate it, 1 Sam. XVI. 18. And in this very Book, iſch de varim, a Man of Words, is an Eloquent Man.
The LORD is his Name.] He ſeems to allude unto that which God ſaid to Moſes, when he firſt appeared to him, III. 14, 15, 16. VI. 3, 4, 6.
Ver. 4. Pharaoh's Chariots.] The Hebrew word Mercavah comprehends the Horſes by which they were drawn; which were commonly four to each Chariot, as Maimonides probably gathers from 1 Kings X. 29. Where a Horſe is ſaid to come up out of Egypt at an hundred and fifty ſhekels, and a Chariot at ſix hundred; becauſe it comprehended four Horſes, More Nevoch. P. I. c. 70.
Choſen Captains.] The Hebrew word Schaliſh imports ſomething extraordinary; either in their Stature, or in their Command, which they had, perhaps, over three Squadrons, as we now ſpeak. But Hen. Valeſius, a very Learned Man, thinks the LXX. rightly tranſlated the word by foreign; which he tranſlates three fighting out of a Chariot. For foreign and foreign are both words belonging to Military Diſcipline, (which they call Tacticks) and foreign he takes to be of the ſame kind, and rightly rendred by Ruſinus ternos ſtatores, in Euſeb. Hiſtor. Eccleſ. L. IX. c. 9. p. 358.
Ver. 5. Sank to the bottom as a ſtone.] The Waters which ſtood up like a Wall, falling down with great violence upon them, they ſank under their weight to the bottom of the Sea; from whence, after ſome time, they roſe up again, and were thrown upon the ſhore, (XIV. 30.) though not all of them; but ſome ſeem to have been buried in the bottom of the Sea. See v. 12.
Ver. 6. Right hand.] Is frequently uſed for the height of Power exerted in the Preſervation of good Men, or the Deſtruction of the bad, XX Pſalm 6. XXI. 8.
Ver. 7. In the greatneſs of thy excellency, &c.] All words being too low to declare the greatneſs of God's Power, which appeared in the overthrow of the Egyptians; he indeavours to riſe higher and higher in his Expreſſions, to ſhow how much he admired it.
Thou ſentest forth thy wrath.] He ſeems to allude unto God's looking upon them, through the Pillar of Fire and of the Cloud, XIV. 24. and to the Thunder and Lightning, which are ſuppoſed to have come from thence.
Ver. 8. And with the blast of thy noſtrils.] This may relate to the ſtrong Wind, which drove the Sea back, XIV. 21.
The waters were gathered together. This word Aram, or Haram, ſignifies to heap up together: From whence the Arabians call thoſe great Banks, which are raiſed to keep in Waters from over-flowing a Country, by the name of Arem or Harem, as Bochartus hath obſerved in his Phaleg. L. II. c. 26. And ſo the word may be here tranſlated, the waters were heaped up as banks, on each ſide of the Iſraelites.
Ver. 9. I will divide the ſpoil.] It belonged to Kings, and chief Commanders to divide the Spoil; as Moſes, David, and Joſhua did among the Soldiers.
My hand ſhall deſtroy them.] Or repoſſeſs them (as it is in the Margin) bring them back to their Slavery in Egypt.
Ver. 10. They ſank like lead.] It ſignifies the ſuddenneſs of their deſtruction: for a Talent of Lead ſinks in a moment.
Ver. 11. Who is like unto thee, among the Gods?] Or, the mighty ones, as it is in the Margin. For Elim is the Plural of El, which comes from Ejalah (ſaith the Author of Sepher Coſri) which denotes fortitude or ſtrength. For from him proceeds all Power and Might; but is himſelf more Sublime and Eminent, than to be likened to any other Power, according to theſe words, which he quotes for the proof of it, Pars IV. Sect. 3.
Fearful in Praiſes.] I ſee no ſolidity in the Gloſs of R. Elieſer, that Moſes ſpeaks in the Plural Number, becauſe the Angels praiſed God above, when the Iſraelites praiſed him below, Pirke Elieſ. c. 42. The plain meaning is, that he ought to be praiſed with the greateſt Reverence; for to him alone (as Conradus Pellicanus gloſſes) belongs all Honour and Glory, who can never enough be praiſed.
Ver. 12. The Earth ſwallowed them.] They who were drowned in the Sea, are here ſaid to be ſwallowed up in the Earth; juſt as Jonah ſaith, when he was in the Sea, that he went down to the bottom of the Mountains; and the Earth with her bars was about him for ever, II. 6. becauſe the Sea, which ſwallowed both him and the Egyptians, is in the Depths of the Earth. R. Elieſer thinks that they being thrown upon the Sea-ſhore, XIV. 30. the Earth opened her Mouth, and ſwallowed them up. Which is poſſible; but there is no neceſſity of ſo underſtanding it. Rather after the Iſraelites had ſpoiled them, the Sea which had caſt them on ſhore, afterwards, as is uſual, carried them off again, and buried them in the Sand or Mud.
Ver. 13. Thy holy habitation.] The Country where God himſelf intended to have a dwelling place, v. 17.
Ver. 14. The Inhabitants of Paleſtina.] The Philiſtins ſeem to have been the moſt valiant People in that Country, to which the Iſraelites were to go; and therefore here mentioned.
Ver. 15. The Dukes of Edom.] Concerning the word Alluphe, ſee XXXVI Gen. 18. By this it appears, that Idumaea was at this time under the Government of Dukes; though before Moſes his Death they had Kings (XX Numb. 14.) For they often changed their Government, as I obſerved upon XXXVI Gen. where Moſes gives an account both of their Dukes, and of their Kings.
Ver. 16. Shall be as ſtill as a ſtone.] The LXX. tranſlate it foreign, turned into ſtones; i. e. ſo ſtruck with the terrour of the LORD, that they remained unmoveable as ſtones; having no heart to oppoſe the paſſage of the Iſraelites into Canaan.
Ver. 17. The Mountain of thine Inheritance.] Moſes ſeems to have foreſeen, by the Spirit of Prophecy, that God would place his Habitation upon Mount Sion. Which he underſtood, perhaps, from the Sacrifice of Iſaac upon Mount Moriah, XXII Gen.
Ver. 18. The LORD ſhall reign for ever and ever.] It may ſignifie, that when they came thither, they would always acknowledge him for their Sovereign; who had done ſuch mighty things for them.
Ver. 19. The Horſe of Pharaoh went in with his Chariots, &c.] In this which the Greeks call the Epiphonema of the Song, Moſes briefly comprehends the whole matter of it; and makes it end as it began.
Ver. 20. And Miriam.] Or, as the LXX. the Syriac and others read it, Mariam; which ſome think comes from Marah, which ſignifies bitterneſs (as the Arabick word Marara doth) and that their cruel uſage by Pharaoh, eſpecially his Decree that all the Male Children ſhould be ſlain, was the occaſion of this name; for it made their life bitter to them, as the Text ſaith, I. 14. Thus the Author of Dibre Hajamim (or of the Life of Moſes) and our Dr. Lightfoot and others. But L'Moine gueſſes, not unhappily, that it ſignifies as much as Mar-jam, which is in Engliſh, a drop of the Sea: from which the Story of Venus was framed, among the Greeks; who feigned her to have been born of the froth of the Sea, which gave her the Name of Aphrodite. The Fable of Diana alſo, as well as Venus, had no other original, but from that which is here ſaid of Miriam; as Huetius hath probably conjectured in his Demonſtratio Evang. Prop. IV. c. 12. ſect. 4.
The Propheteſs.] She was called by this Name, I ſuppoſe, becauſe ſhe had a Gift of compoſing Hymns, in praiſe of the Divine Majeſty: which, it is certain, is meant ſometimes, by prophecying in Scripture. See 1 Sam. X. 5, 6. And thus among the Greeks, a Prophet and a Poet were the ſame thing: and the Latine word Vates ſignifies both. For, as Quintilian ſaith, L. I. c. 10. Muſick was had in ſuch veneration in ancient times, that iidem Muſici, & Vates, & Sapientes judicarentur. But there are other places of Holy Scripture, which would incline one to think, that ſhe alſo received Revelations from God, for the direction of the People. Particularly VI Mich. 4. where ſhe is mentioned as one that conducted Iſrael out of Egypt: and her own words, with Aaron's, XII Numb. 2. hath not the LORD ſpoken by us alſo? Which the LORD heard, and doth not contradict; but rather allow to be true: though they had not ſuch near Communication with him as Moſes had, v. 6. Perhaps ſhe inſtructed the Women, as Moſes and Aaron did the Men.
The Siſter of Aaron.] And why not of Moſes? The common Anſwer is, that Aaron and ſhe lived longeſt together; Moſes having been abſent from them XL. years. Or perhaps, Moſes was not by the ſame Mother, which Aaron and Miriam had. She was married to Hur, if we may believe Joſephus.
Took a Timbrel in her hand.] So the manner was in after-times when they propheſied, 1 Sam. X. 5, 6. 2 Kings III. 15. and when they ſang Hymns, XXXIII Pſalm 2. LVII. 7, 8. and upon any occaſion of great rejoycing, XI Judg. 34. 1 Sam. XVIII. 6. From which we may learn, how ancient Muſick was in the Service of God: there being nothing in which it can be better imployed, than in his Praiſes. Therefore it was no part of the Gentile Idolatry, that they uſed ſuch Inſtruments as theſe in their Divine Worſhip; but they honoured falſe Gods in that manner, that Moſes and the Iſraelites had done the true. And it ought to have a remark ſet upon it, that this way of praiſing God was no part of the Moſaical Inſtitution; but derived from more ancient times, before the Law was given.
And all the Women went out after her.] To joyn with her in the Praiſes of God, as the Men did with Moſes and Aaron, with Timbrels and Dances. As they played with theſe Inſtruments in their hands, ſo their whole Bodies made a decent motion with their feet. Which afterwards tended to laſciviouſneſs, but anciently was very grave, and ſo becoming, that ſuch Dances were as devout Expreſſions of Joy, as their ſolemn Muſick. This appears by the Example of David, dancing before the Ark, when it was brought up from the Houſe of Obed-Edom, in a joyful Proceſſion both of Men and Women, with Vocal and Inſtrumental Muſick, 1 Chron. XV. 27, 28, 29. LXVIII Pſalm 26. From which Patterns all Nations, from the moſt ancient Times, made Dancing a part of the Worſhip of their Gods; as Huetius obſerves in his Demonſtr. Evang. Propoſ. IV. c. 6. n. 2. who ingeniouſly conjectures, in another place of that Work, (c. 12. n. 4.) that from this Dancing of Miriam, and her Companions, on the Sea-ſhore, Callimachus, in his Hymn to Diana, aſcribes to her foreign, threeſcore Dancers, the Daughters of the Ocean.
Ver. 21. And Miriam anſwered them, &c.] i. e. She and the Women anſwered Moſes and the People, Verſe by Verſe; or after every Verſe, ſung by Moſes and the Men, Miriam and the Women, interpoſed and repeated this Verſe, (which is the firſt of the Song) ſaying, Sing to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriouſly, &c. And this was a way of ſinging in after Times, as appears from the CXXXV Pſalm, and III Ezra 11. of which I have given ſome account in my Preface to the Paraphraſe of the Book of Pſalms. Which juſtiſies, or rather commends our way of Reading, or Chanting the Pſalms interchangeably, by Reſponſes, as we call them, or Anſwering one to another: which certainly, it appears by this place, is the moſt ancient way of all other. And is repreſented in VI Iſa. 3. as practiſed by the Angels themſelves, in their Worſhip of the Divine Majeſty.
Ver. 22. So Moſes brought Iſrael from the Red-ſea.] Not without ſome importunity; they being eagerly bent upon gathering the Spoil of the Egyptians. Some ſuch thing the Hebrew word ſeems to import, which is jaſſa, he made them to go up. Which ſignifies ſome unwillingneſs, or backwardneſs; ariſing either from that Cauſe, or from a deſire to return to Egypt (as ſome fancy) which now perhaps they thought to be ſo empty, that they might get it for themſelves.
And they went out.] From the Station, where they were at the Red-ſea.
Into the Wilderneſs of Shur.] Mentioned XVI Gen. 7. and was a part of the Wilderneſs of Etham; which was the general Name for this Deſert, XXXIII Numb. 8.
And they went three days in the Wilderneſs.] Viz. the XXII, XXIII, and XXIVth of Niſan.
And found no Water.] Which was a very great Trial of them. For their Cattle, as well as they, ſuffered much by it; and could not afford them Milk ſufficient to quench their thirſt.
Ver. 23. And when they came to Marah.] This was the fourth Station of the Iſraelites, after they came out of Egypt; and in the ſame Wilderneſs: which had this Name given it after they came there, from the bitterneſs or brackiſhneſs of the Water.
They could not drink of the Water, &c.] This was the more grievous, becauſe they had wanted this refreſhment three days.
Ver. 24. And the People murmured against Moſes, ſaying, What ſhall we drink?] It is the conceit of Abarbinel, that Moſes brought them from the Redſea, without the direction of the Cloud, which conducted them thither: but then left them to his Guidance. Which made the People think it was Moſes his Fault, that they were in this deſtreſs; who did not know how to lead them to the moſt commodious and likely places, for the finding good Water. And therefore from Marah they ſtirred not, till the Cloud again led them; becauſe it is ſaid XVII. 1. they journied from Sin, by the Commandment of the LORD. But all this is a meer fancy, to excuſe his Foreſathers; who ſhould rather have prayed to God, than murmured againſt Moſes. For we read expreſly, God did not take away the Pillar of the Cloud by day, and the Pillar of Fire by night, from before the People, XIII. 22. That is, it conſtantly guided them in the way wherein they ſhould go, whether they travelled by day or by night. And in that very place, which he builds his Opinion upon, where it is ſaid, they journied according to the commandment of the LORD; it is alſo expreſly recorded, that there was no water for the People to drink, XVII. 1.
Ver. 25. And he cried unto the LORD.] He did what they ſhould have done; made his earneſt Prayer to God to relieve them in this diſtreſs: which he inſtantly vouchſafed to do.
And the LORD ſhowed him a Tree.] We are not told what Tree this was; whoſe Wood being thrown into the Waters, took off their bitterneſs: but, to increaſe the Miracle, the Jews will have this to have been a Tree of bitter taſte, (which Jonathan calls Ardophne) which naturally would have made the Waters bitter, if they had been ſweet. Demetrius mentions this wonderful cure of the Waters, in Euſebius his Praepar. Evang. L. IX. c. 29.
Which when he had cast into the water.] By the order of the LORD, who ſhowed him the Tree. For the Wonder did not conſiſt (as Huetius thinks, in his Quaeſtiones Alnetanae) in curing the Water by throwing the Wood into it, (for that may be done naturally, as Pliny ſhows) but that he found this Wood in the Wilderneſs, by the direction of God: As Eliſha found, by the ſame Divine direction, that the throwing in of Meal would make Water ſweet; which the ſame Pliny ſaith is a natural Remedy.
There he made for them.] Propounded to them, or appointed them.
A Statute, and an Ordinance.] This ſeems to ſigniſie, that for their better Government, God now gave them a few Rules to be obſerved for the preſent, till he ſhould more fully declare his Will to them from Mount Sinai. And it is a moſt ancient conſtant Tradition of the Jews, That now he commanded them to obſerve the Sabbath (which they underſtand by Statute) and to do Juſtice; particularly honour their Parents; which they underſtand by Ordinance or Judgment, as the Hebrew word imports. And they inſtance eſpecially in keeping the Sabbath, and honouring of Parents; becauſe thoſe two Commandments are preſſed upon them in Deuteronomy, with this particular inforcement, As the LORD commanded thee, V Deut. 12, 16. which they will have to relate unto this command at Marah. See Mr. Selden, L. III. de Jure Nat. & Gent. c. 9. p. 314, 333, &c. And perhaps theſe two might be in the number; but it is probable there were more Commands beſides theſe, which were now given them; as the following Verſe ſeems to intimate.
And there he proved them.] He began there to make a trial of their Obedience, Whether they would obſerve theſe Laws, or no.
Ver. 26. And ſaid, if thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, &c.] This was the main thing he required of them, as Jeremiah obſerves, VII. 22, 23. Where he ſaith, God ſpake nothing to them, in the day when he brought them out of Egypt (i. e. at this time) concerning Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices, but only commanded them, ſaying, Obey my voice. And this Maimonides himſelf confeſſes in his More Nevoch. P. III. c. 32. It appears from the Scripture, and the Cabala alſo, that the first Precept which God gave us after we came out of Egypt, was not concerning Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices; but it was that given us at Marah, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God: where he gave us a Statute and a Judgment. And it is a certain Tradition, that the Statute was the Sabbath; and the Judgment was, the taking away all iniquity; i. e. doing Juſtice.
I will put none of thoſe Diſeaſes upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians.] He incourages their Obedience by a gracious Promiſe, to preſerve them from thoſe terrible Plagues, which he inflicted upon the Egyptians for their Diſobedience. Which is an Indication withal, that if the Iſraelites proved like them, they ſhould be puniſhed in the ſame manner; as he threatens afterwards, XXVIII Deut. 59, &c.
I am the LORD that healeth thee.] There are two parts of a Phyſicians Office; to cure Men, when they are ſick; and to preſerve them in health, when they are well. The latter is here chiefly intended; which the Pſalmist takes notice of, when he ſaith, CV. 37. There was not one feeble Perſon among their Tribes.
Ver. 27. And they came to Elim.] They ſeem to have ſtayed but a day at Marah, and on the XXVth of Niſan to have come to this place, called Elim, (which ſignifies Rams) from the good Paſture which was here for the feeding Sheep; as Jacobus Capellus will have it. But Bochartus thinks that El ſignifies in general a Field; as El-Paran, XIV Gen. 6. he interprets the Field or Plain of Paran: and conſequently Elim ſignifies a part of the Wilderneſs, where there were large and ſpacious Plains. Thus I find Ezekiel the Tragaedian (mentioned by Euſebius) underſtood it, in his Exagoge: where he brings in one talking with Moſes, and pointing him to this place; where a great Light ſhone, on a ſudden, as a Pillar of Fire, to ſhow it to them. Which he calls foreign, a ſhady Meadow, and ſaith it was foreign, an exceeding fertil Ground, L. IX. Praepar. Evang. c. 29.
Where were twelve Wells of Water, and threeſcore and ten Palm-trees.] Twelve Wells of Water, according to the number of the XII. Tribes; and LXX. Palm Trees, according to the number of the Elders of Iſrael, ſays the Hioruſalem Targum, and Jonathan's Paraphraſe. Which Nachmanides ſo much believed, that he ſaith each Tribe pitched their Tents about one of theſe Fountains: and the LXX. Elders ſat down under the ſhadow of the Palm Trees; giving thanks to God for the Benefits they now received upon dry Land, as lately they had done in the Sea. But there is no reaſon to think that the high Court, conſiſting of ſo many Elders, was now conſtituted; as I have obſerved before: of which ſee Mr. Selden, L. I. de Synedr. c. 15. p. 626, &c. There is nothing in the Story neither, to warrant what Ezekiel ſays in the place before-named, that theſe Twelve Springs all guſhed foreign, out of one Rock, which was in this beautiful Plain. No more, than there is for what follows in him, concerning a marvellous ſtrange Bird, ſuch as no Man ever ſaw before, as big again as an Eagle, of various Colours, and a moſt ſweet Voice, which appeared to them upon this occaſion. Which he ſeems to have had out of ſome Talmudical Fable.
Palm-Trees.] This Tree delights in watery Places; and therefore no wonder ſo many were planted here by theſe Fountains. For it is noted by Pliny, that gaudet riguis, & toto anno bibere amat, the Palm-Tree delights in places well watered, and loves to drink all the year. There were two ſorts of theſe Trees: the common, and that which was called foreign, becauſe it bare Dates; as Salmaſius hath obſerved in his Plinianae exercit. p. 472. 1326. If theſe were of the latter ſort, they gave them the better entertainment.
And they encamped there by the water.] To refreſh themſelves and their Flocks, in this delightful place.