3 And they said, 'The God of the He- officers, saying,

1 Chap. 3. 18.

vants?

7 Ye shall no more give the people straw | Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy serto make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.

8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.

11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it yet not ought of your work shall be diminished.

12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.

14 And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to-day, as heretofore?

16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own people.

17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.

18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.

19 And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of your daily task.

20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh :

21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his scrvants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.

22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

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.

15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Heb. let the work be heavy upon the men. 3 Ileb, a matter of a day in his day. 4 IIeb. to stink. 5 Heb. de'ivering, thou hast not delivered. Verse 7. "Straw to make brick.”—We are so much in the habit of associating the making of bricks with burning, that the common reader fails to discover that the straw could be for any other use than to burn the bricks. Without disputing that the Egyptians did sometimes burn their bricks, the evidence of ancient remains in their country and the existing customs of the East leave little room to doubt that the use of the straw was to mix with and compact the mass of clay used in making sun-dried bricks, such as we have noticed in the notes on Babylon and on the pyramids. Bricks of this sort are still commonly made in Egypt; and their ancient use in the same country is evinced by the brick pyramids at Dashoor and Faioum. That they were never in the fire is shown by the fact that the straw which enters into their composition has sustained no injury or discolouration. Such bricks are very durable in dry climates like Egypt, but would soon be ruined if exposed to much rain. Herodotus observed it as one of the customs in which the Egyptians were unlike other nations, that they kneaded their clay with their hands, and their dough with their feet.

14. "The officers of the children of Israel....were beaten."-This is quite oriental. We need only allude to China, which has aptly been said to be governed by the stick. In Persia also the stick is in continual action. Men of all ranks and ages are continually liable to be beaten. It is by no means a rare occurrence for the highest and most trusted persons in the state, in a moment of displeasure or caprice in their royal master, to be handed over to the beaters of carpets, who thrash them with their sticks as if they were dogs. The same practice descends through all ranks; and it has often made the writer's heart ache to see respectable, and even venerable white-bearded men chastised by the menials and messengers of great persons, on their own account, with a brutality which would in this country subject a man to judicial punishment if exercised upon his ass or horse. Thus, beating comes to be regarded by all as among the common evils to which life is incident. Instances are mentioned of persons who, being wealthy, and knowing that attempts would be made to extort money from them by beating, have inured themselves, by selfinflicted blows, to bear the worst without being shaken. The consequence of all this is, that personal chastisement is in those countries not considered a disgrace, but simply a misfortune, limited to the pain inflicted, or to the degree of displeasure on the part of a superior which it may be understood to indicate. A great minister of state, who was beaten yesterday, does not hold his head less erect, and is not less courted or respected to-day, if he still retains his place and influence at court; and if his great master condescends, on second thoughts, to invest his bruised person with a robe of honour, and to speak a few words of kindness or compliment, the former punishment is considered by all parties to be more than adequately compensated.

3 Gen. 46.9 1 Chron. 5. 3.

6 Num. 26, 57. 1 Chron. 6. 2. 7 Chap. 2. 2. Num. 26, 59.

28 ¶ And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,

29 That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto

Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.

30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Verse 3. "By my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”—There have been many different interpretations of this passage. The name frequently occurs in Genesis; but Calmet and many others think that, as that book was written after God had revealed this name to Moses, it is used there by way of anticipation. Calmet's editor, Mr. Taylor, however, enters into an elaborate criticism of the Hebrew verb "to know," showing that it implies in one sense "appropriation ;" and he understands the passage to mean, that although God had before been known to the patriarchs, and to other persons, not of their family, in a general way, it now became the name by which he constituted himself the appropriate Deity of the Hebrew nation; and by that name he, on one part, and they, on the other, entered into covenant. This interpretation has much claim to attention; and seems to be confirmed by many subsequent passages, in which the name occurs as an "appropriate" name. Thus, "I am Jehovah ;" or "I am Jehovah your God," are the expressions in which He indicates his claim to their allegiance and obedience. It would seem to have the emphasis which would result from the fact that He of whom other nations had no knowledge, or, at most, only some faint and trembling notions, had by express revelation made known to the descendants of Abraham a large measure of his glory and perfections, and took them under his more peculiar care.

It is to be observed that where, in our translation, the word LORD occurs in capital letters, it stands for the JEHOVAH of the original. This substitution has the sanction of the Septuagint, which commonly renders it by Kúpos, or "Lord," whence Calmet infers that the translators were not accustomed to pronounce the name; to which we may add that they were probably unwilling to communicate what they knew of it to strangers. It is certain that the Jews came to associate much superstition and mystery with the name of Jehovah. Their respect for the name led them to abstain from pronouncing it after the captivity, until they ultimately forgot the true pronunciation. Jerome, Origen, Eusebius, and others mention, that in their time the Jews wrote the name in their copies of the Bible in Samaritan characters, instead of the common Chaldee or Hebrew, in order to veil it from the profane inspection of strangers. Josephus, in his account of the transaction in the text, manifests the same feeling. He says "that Moses entreated God to tell him his name, that he might know how to invoke him properly when he offered sacrifice. Whereupon God declared to him his name, which had never before been revealed to man, and concerning which it is not lawful for me to say more."

20. "Father's sister."-The Septuagint and the Syriac both read, "uncle's daughter."

66

30. "I am of uncircumcised lips.”-Moses thus expresses figuratively, what he had said before more plainly, "I am not eloquent," or rather, "not of ready utterance." In consequence of uncircumcision being considered not only impure but dishonourable, the term "uncircumcised" is frequently applied as a term of degradation and reproach to the Philistines and other neighbouring nations of the Jews; and we also find it often applied, as here, figuratively to imply any thing impure, useless, dangerous, or defective. Thus we read of " uncircumcised ears (Jer. vi. 10), that is, ears averse to instruction; and of "uncircumcised hearts" (Lev. xxvi. 41), or hearts intractable and inattentive.

AND the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.

7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.

10 ¶ And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with

their enchantments.

12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that

he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD
had said.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to
let the people go.

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

17 Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

18 And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river. 19 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and

upon their ponds, and upon all their 'pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.

20 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

21 And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.

22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also,

24 And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river.

25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had smitten the river. 1 Heb. gathering of their waters. 2 Chap. 17.5. 3 Psal. 78. 44. 4 Wisd. 17. 7.