Commentary on Exodus, Commentary · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Verſe 1. AND afterward Moſes and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh.] When they had convinced the Elders of Iſrael of their Commiſſion, they deſired Audience of Pharaoh. Which having obtained, they went to Court; taking ſome of the Elders along with them, to attend them. Which is not a meer Conjecture, from the decency of the thing, that they ſhould go alone on ſuch a Solemn Embaſſy; but ſo they were commanded to do, III Exod. 18. and it will appear, from v. 3. of this Chapter, that ſo they did.
I have obſerved before III. 10. that this Pharaoh is commonly thought to be him called Cenchres.
Thus ſaith the LORD God of Iſrael, Let my People go, &c.] Theſe words contain only the Subſtance of what they ſaid: which was delivered, we may well ſuppoſe, in a longer Oration. Wherein they declar'd they had received a Commiſſion from their God, the LORD of Heaven and Earth, to make this Addreſs to him.
In all Nations there were ſome Perſons, who pretending to greater Familiarity with their Gods, than other Men, were highly reverenced, both by their own Country-men, and by Strangers. And therefore it is no wonder Pharaoh offer'd no Violence to them, when they came to make this Demand; becauſe their Perſons were held Sacred; as thoſe of Ambaſſadours now are, who come from one Prince to another. This is a better account, than that which ſome of the Jews (in Schalſch-Hakkabah) give of it: who ſay, that when they came into Pharaoh's Preſence, they appeared in ſuch Majeſty, as daunted him: being like the Angels of the Miniſtry; and raiſed to a taller Stature than they had before; and having a ſplendour in their Countenances, like that of the Sun, &c. In which, they ſeem to imitate the Story of St. Stephen, whoſe Face ſhined like that of an Angel, when he appeared before their Council.
That they may hold a Feast unto me in the Wilderneſs.] In order to which, it was neceſſary they ſhould offer Sacrifice, (v. 3.) which they could not do in Egypt: and therefore deſired to go into the Wilderneſs; where they might uſe their own Rites and Ceremonies of Religion, without offence to the Egyptians. Every word hath its weight in it: For a Feast denotes an extraordinary Service; and to me ſignifies ſuch peculiar Rites of Worſhip, as ſhould be preſcribed and inſtituted by the LORD, in whoſe Name they ſpake: For which, the Wilderneſs was moſt proper, becauſe there was no Concourſe of People likely to be in that place, to diſturb them in their Solemnity.
Ver. 2. And Pharaoh ſaid, Who is the LORD? &c.] Theſe are not Atheiſtical words; for he owned ſuch Gods as the Egyptians worſhipped: but ſlighted that God whom Moſes called JEHOVAH; to whom he ſaith, he owed no Obedience, becauſe he did not know who they meant by him. He ſpeaks alſo with too much Scorn; his Pride and Paſſion not ſuffering him to ask ſeriouſly who Jehovah was.
I know not the LORD, &c.] Nor did he deſire to know; being ſo tranſported with Anger that he would not Examine their Commiſſion; but only reſolved he would not obey it.
Ver. 3. And they ſaid, the God of the Hebrews.] They give him no other account (ſince he was ſo haughty and huffing) but that they came in the Name of him, whom they and their Anceſtors, had for many Generations worſhipped. Whom they had at firſt called (v. 1.) the LORD God of Iſrael. foreign, as Artapanus in Euſebius expounds it, the Lord and Governour of the Ʋniverſe.
Hath met with us.] Appeared to us, and given us this Commiſſion, when we thought of no ſuch thing. For they would not have him think that they ſought this Embaſſy; but were put upon it by the Divine Authority, which they durſt not diſobey.
Let us go, we pray thee, three days Journey into the Deſert.] Theſe are the very words in which God commanded Moſes to deliver his Meſſage, III. 18. And as their Deſire was moderate (to go but three days Journey) ſo it was very modeſtly delivered; by humble intreaty; and with ſuch a Reaſon as they thought might move him to grant their Requeſt.
And Sacrifice unto the LORD our God.] That he may be propitious to us.
Lest he fall upon us with the Peſtilence, or with the Sword.] Send a Plague among us (for our neglect of him) or ſome Foreign Enemy to infeſt us, and cut us off. Whereby Pharaoh (they ſecretly ſuggeſt) would loſe the beneſit of their Labours, more than by their going for a little time into the Wilderneſs. See VIII. 27.
It is obſervable that they neither wrought any Miracle, nor threatned any Puniſhment to Pharaoh, at their firſt Application to him; but only told him the danger they themſelves were in, if they did not obey their God: Which was a very ſubmiſſive way of treating with him. Artapanus indeed (in Euſeb. Praep. Evang. L. IX. c. 27. and in Clem. Alex. L. I. Strom.) tells us of ſeveral Miraculous things which Moſes did at this Audience; whereby Pharaoh and his Servants were aſtoniſhed and frighted from doing them any hurt; nay, he askt Moſes the Name of his God, which he whiſpered in Pharaoh's ear. But he had all this out of ſome ſuch fabulous Authour, as him I mentioned above, (v. 1.) and I mention him, only to ſhow that the Heathen had the knowledge of this Hiſtory, and report it as a Truth; though with ſome mixture of Humane Invention.
Ver. 4. Wherefore do ye, Moſes and Aaron, let the People from their works?] Inſtead of anſwering their Reaſons, he tells them, That he lookt upon them two, as Diſturbers of the Peace of the Kingdom; and Hinderers of his Buſineſs.
Get you unto your Burdens.] This ſeems to be ſpoken unto the Elders, which they had brought along with them.
Ver. 5. Behold the People of the Land now are many.] They are very numerous, notwithſtanding all their Labours: to what will they grow, if they have nothing to do? Or, as ſome expound it, they will think of nothing but Sedition, now they are ſo numerous, if they be ſuffered to ceaſe from their Burdens. Cajetan hence gathers, that the Law for throwing their Infants into the River, was aboliſht, as infamous; or he could not get it put in Execution.
And you make them rest from their Burdens.] Which was the Courſe he took to make them leſs numerous. Perhaps this was the Sabbath-day; on which they had been wont to reſt, when they had their Liberty.
Ver. 6. And Pharaoh commanded the ſame day, the Task-maſters of the People, and their Officers.] The Task-maſters were the chief Exactors of their Labours, being Egyptians: who had Officers under them to execute their Orders, and to give an account how they were obeyed: And it appears from v. 14, 15, &c. that they were Iſraelites.
Ver. 7. Ye ſhall no more give the People ſtraw to make brick, as heretofore, &c.] Inſtead of eaſing them, he increaſed their Burdens, and made them intolerable. What the uſe of Straw was in making Bricks, is variouſly conjectured. Some think it was mixed with the Clay, to make the Bricks more ſolid. Others, that they only heated their Kilns with it, to burn the Bricks. Others, (who think they were not baked in a Kiln) imagine it ſerved only to cover them; that they might not be crackt by the violent heat of the Sun, wherein they were baked. For ſo Vitruvius tells us, that the beſt Bricks were made in the Spring and in the Autumn, ut uno tenore ſicceſcant, that they might dry by an equal heat: they that were made at the Solſtice being ſuddenly cruſted over by the Sun, and left too moiſt within, L. II. de Architect. c. 3.
Ver. 8. And the tale of the Bricks, which they did make heretofore, you ſhall lay upon them, &c.] It appears from v. 13, 14. that there was a certain quantity exacted from them every day.
For they be idle, and therefore they cry, ſaying, Let us go and Sacrifice to our God.] They have not work enough, to employ their Thoughts; which makes their Mind wander after other things.
Ver. 9. Let there more work be laid upon the Men.] Or, make it heavy upon them (as it is in the Margin).
That they may labour therein.] Have no time to think of any thing elſe.
And let them not regard vain words.] So he calls the Meſſage of Moſes and Aaron; who, he pretends, were meer Deceivers, and fed their Hope with Lyes, (for ſo it is in the Hebrew, words of falſhood, or lying words) or, at leaſt, he reſolved their words ſhould not prove true; for he would not let the People go.
Ver. 10. Thus ſaith Pharaoh, I will not give you Straw.] The Task-maſters with their Officers, proclaimed the King's Order, that every Body might take notice of it.
Ver. 11. Go, get you Straw where you can find it, &c.] A heavy Sentence; importing that whether they could find any or no, no abatement would be made of the number of Bricks that was expected from them. This was to drive them to Deſperation, by demanding things impoſſible. And added (as Conradus Pellicanus obſerves) to the Burdens on their Bodies, very ſore Anguiſh of Mind. For it tempted them to doubt of the Goodneſs of their God, who they thought had ſent a deliverer to them (IV. 31.) by whom they were now reduced into a more miſerable Condition.
Ver. 12. So the People were ſcattered abroad, throughout all the Land of Egypt, &c.] Some part of them were forced to go, and pick up Straw, or for want of it, Stuble (and ſometime travel a great way for it) while the reſt were working in the Brick-kilns, without their help, which they were wont to have: whereby they were diſabled from making ſo many Bricks, as formerly they had done.
Ver. 13. And the Task-maſter haſted them, &c.] Quickned them in their work; when they ſaw they were likely to fall ſhort of their wonted Task.
Ver. 14. And the Officers of the Children of Iſrael, &c.] By this it appears (as I ſaid v. 6.) that theſe Officers were Iſraelites. And from this place Bonavent. Bertram concludes (Lib. de Rep. Hebr. Cap. IV.) that there was a Civil Government among the Iſraelites all the time they were in Egypt: and that theſe Schoterim (as they are called in Hebrew) were Men of the greateſt Note among the Elders; who executed all their Decrees; and conſequently of high Authority among the People. For which reaſon Pharaoh's Task-maſters choſe them, to Overſee and Direct the Labours of their Brethren. But Mr. Selden L. I. de Synedr. Cap. XV. hath made it appear, that there was no ſuch Judicature among them at this time; and when there was, this was the Name of thoſe who executed the Sentence of the Judges: being like to our Apparitors, and ſuch like under Officers. See p. 621, &c.
Were beaten.] With Sticks; or ſcourged with Rods.
Wherefore have yet not fulfilled your Task, both yeſterday, &c.] They puniſhed the Officers, as if they had been negligent in not preſſing the People to their Duty. Yet it ſeems they forbore them one day, to ſee if they would mend their Fault the next.
V. 15. Then the Officers of the Children of Iſrael came and cried unto Pharaoh, ſaying, &c.] They had ſome hope this Oppreſſion might proceed from the Task-maſters, and not from the King himſelf: and therefore they repreſented their Caſe to him, and petitioned for Relief. It is ſaid indeed v. 6. that Pharaoh laid this Command, both upon the Taskmaſters and their Officers: but it is not unlikely that he gave it immediately only to the Task-maſters, who were his own Miniſters, and by them to the Officers.
Ver. 16. Thy Servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own People.] This ſhows that they thought ſuch Inhumane Uſage was the effect of the Taskmaſters Cruelty.
Ver. 17. But he ſaid, ye are idle, ye are idle, &c.] He ſoon made them underſtand it was by his Decree, and not his Servants pleaſure, that they were thus uſed. And, which was worſe, they ſaw he was ſixed in his Reſolution; being void of all pity; and mocking at their Complaints. For nothing could be more Sarcaſtical, than to tell them they were idle, when they ſunk under their Burdens.
Ver. 18. Go, therefore now and work, &c.] Do not ſpend your time in making Complaints to me; but return immediately to your Labours, and continue at them, till my Commands be executed: and expect no mitigation.
Ver. 19. And the Officers did ſee that they were in evil Caſe, &c.] By this Anſwer they found themſelves reduced to ſuch Straits, that now they deſpaired of all Relief: the King himſelf being ſet againſt them.
Ver. 20. And they met Moſes and Aaron who ſtood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh.] They had placed themſelves there on purpoſe, to hear what Succeſs the Officers had in their Petition.
Ver. 21. And they ſaid, the LORD look upon you and judge.] This ſeems to be an Imprecation: or, at leaſt, the Officers bid Moſes and Aaron expect, that God would take them to task (as we ſpeak) for bringing his People into ſo bad a Caſe.
Ye have made our Savour to be abhorred in the Eyes, &c.] Made us odious; as this Phraſe ſignifies, XXXIV Gen. 30.
To put a Sword into their hand to ſlay us.] Who may take an occaſion from hence, and make this a pretence, for the deſtroying our whole Nation.
Ver. 22. And Moſes returned unto the LORD.] this plainly intimates, that the LORD had appeared to Moſes ſince he came to Egypt; as he did at Mount Horeb: and that he appeared in ſome ſetled place, where he might upon all Occaſions reſort to him.
And ſaid, LORD, wherefore hast thou ſo evil intreated this People? &c.] It was to no purpoſe to anſwer the Officers who expoſtulated with him; for they were too much exaſperated, and thereby prejudiced againſt any thing he could ſay. And therefore he choſe rather to repreſent to God the Complaints they had made to him: that he might be directed what Satisfaction to give them. For he was not able of himſelf, to give an account, why the LORD ſhould ſuffer their Condition to grow worſe, rather than better, ſince he delivered his Meſſage to Pharaoh: No, nor why he ſhould ſend him on an Embaſſy, which was not at all regarded.
Ver. 23. For ſince I came to Pharaoh to ſpeak in thy Name, he hath done Evil to this People; neither hast thou delivered thy People at all.] He might have remembred that God told him more than once, that Pharaoh would not obey him at the firſt, III. 19. IV. 21. But the bitter Reflections which the Officers of the Children of Iſrael made upon his Conduct, had ſo diſturbed his Mind, that he forgot himſelf ſo far, as to ask the undecent Queſtions mentioned in the foregoing Verſe, and complains here that God had done Nothing to fulfil his Promiſe of Deliverance to his People.