together from an oversight of the translator. The original is the same in both cases. And the English rendering may be Reuel or Raguel, according to the plan of pronunciation, we adopt in respect to a single letter. The translator, in one passage, adopts one plan; and in the other passage, he adopts the other plan, not remembering what he had done before, and not perceiving the blunder, on reviewing his book. But Reuel and Jethro are really two different names. How then is the difficulty to be removed? We may suppose, as some have done, that Reuel was the grandfather-in-law of Moses, and Jethro was the father-inlaw; for we know that "father" does sometimes mean grand-father, and "daughter" means grand-daughter. Or, we may suppose that the same man had two names, which was not uncommon in those days; and this being well understood, when Moses wrote, he did not think it necessary to explain the reason for employing both of them. It may be added, as a very natural supposition, that Reuel may have been the Midian name, and Jethro, the Hebrew, or vice versa.

259. The priest of Midian may have been the prince of Midian, as the word also means. But it was not uncommon for the prince and priest to be combined in the same person. This country appears to have been not far from Sinai. It was while tending the flocks of Jethro, that Moses came to Horeb the mount of God. Subsequent references will show that Midian was considerably east of Horeb. It was not uncommon, however, to go over a very extensive country, while tending the flocks. Horeb was called the mount of God,

with reference to events that occurred there after leaving Egypt. This narrative, being written after these events took place, it was natural that this mountain should be regarded with special veneration, and spoken of in corresponding terms.

260. The burning bush is plainly a vision. It is not called such to be sure. It was not necessary it should

be. We are left, many times, to infer this from the circumstances. That a bush should burn and not be consumed, is a literal impossibility; but it is precisely such an occurrence as was common in the dreams and visions of ancient times. Let the ladder of Jacob's vision; the sun, moon and stars bowing down to Joseph; the lean kine swallowing the fat kine, in the dream of Pharaoh; and many other similar appearances, be referred to, as examples. The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses. It was sometimes the angel of the Lord, and it was sometimes the Lord that арpeared to men, in those days. Both forms mean the same thing. It was the Lord, making his communications through certain appearances, agents, instrumentalities, or angels, (all meaning the same thing,) to those who were to execute them.

261. To take off the shoes, when entering a temple or any sacred place, or about to perform any sacred function, was common in those days. Indeed it was then as much an act of civility, to take off the sandals, on entering the house of a friend, as it is now to take off the hat. Less than this would not be allowed, on approaching the altar of the gods, or entering any sacred enclosure.

Moses hid his face. That, too, was a common practice when doing any sacred duty. The priests at the temple in Egypt, and other ancient places, performed many of their rites, with a vail over their faces.

EXODUS III.

7. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters, for I know their sorrows;

9. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing

with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me; and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10. Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my peo

ple, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

11. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12. And he said, Certainly I will be with thee: and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee; When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13. And Moses said unto God, Behold when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?

14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me

unto you.

15. And God said, moreover, unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16. Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying,

I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt; and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty;

22. But every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

262. Verse 12th is a little obscure. What was to be a token to Moses? 66 Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token, that I have sent thee. When I have brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." It does not appear difficult to see that, serving God on Mount Sinai, which should take place after leaving Egypt, could be no token to the Hebrews in Egypt, or to the Egyptians, that God had sent Moses to deliver the people. The token was needed at the time, that Moses put

forth his pretensions, so that the people might believe him and act accordingly. "I will be with thee; and this shall be a token," does not seem to be a difficult passage. Being with Moses, so as to enable him to perform sundry miracles, would be the token required. It was after these wonders had worked out their purpose, that the people should worship God on Mount Sinai.

263. One would be inclined to think, that, though Moses, during his interviews with Pharaoh, had remembered this instruction to visit Mount Sinai, on leaving Egypt, and referred to it, as being three days journey in the wilderness, and the place where he and the people were to hold a feast to the Lord; nevertheless, on leaving the country, he took a direct route toward Canaan, and "turned" from it only on being expressly commanded to do so.

264. Moses inquires under what name he shall represent the Lord, that was speaking to him, to his Hebrew brethren. The term Jehovah, is taken from one that expresses existence. It is the Hebrew verb to be. It would be a kind of pass word, by which they would recognize the true God, and thereby the more readily accede to the claims of his servant Moses. The necessity of reporting the name of Jehovah to the Hebrews, implies two things that are important for us to know and bear in mind. One is, that some of the Hebrews, more particularly the Elders, or old men of the nation, still believed in Jehovah as the only living and true God. Another is, that some of them (and from other circumstances we judge the number to be quite considerable) must have imbibed the prevailing polytheism of Egypt; else why ask for some word or sign to distinguish the true God from false ones?

Moses consulted the "Elders of Israel," the old men, as the term means; for we are not aware that there were yet any "Elders," in the official sense of that term, as used at a later day.

265. The people are instructed, on leaving Egypt, to "borrow" of the Egyptians, "jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment." The translation of the word "borrow" is a very unfortunate one. The term may have this sense in some other places; but I am sure it has no such meaning here. It is the ordinary word for asking, demanding; and it was in the latter sense, and not in the sense of borrowing, that it is used in this passage. There is nothing to show that they intended to return what they demanded, or that they meant the Egyptians should so understand them. And when this instruction was at last carried out, the Egyptians complied with the demand readily, and anxiously, with the simple view of getting rid of the Hebrews, and thus saving their land from destruction. That they expected them to come back again, and bring back these jewels, does not appear; but it is a supposition wholly opposed to the spirit of the passage. Of course the word lend is to be construed to correspond. It here means to give.

266. It appears that men as well as women, wore jewels of silver and gold in those days. The same appears from other passages. Ex. xxxii. 2. This passage, as well as others, shows that the Hebrews and Egyptians were not altogether separate. The Hebrew woman was to demand these jewels of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house. This fact helps us to better understand how it came about, at a later day, that the Hebrews understood so many of the arts of Egypt. It may also help us to understand how they imbibed so many of their abominable supersti

tions.

267. The amount of treasure bestowed on the Hebrews, must have been very great to justify the phrase

66

they spoiled the Egyptians." It was evidently great, else they could not have had so much gold and silver as they appear to have had at a later day, when they made the tabernacle and its valuable appendages. It