Exodus 11:2-3

Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

Speak now in the ears of the people. These verses, describing the communication which had been made in private to Moses, are inserted here as a parenthesis, and will be considered, Exodus 12:35.

Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt. This is added historically as a special reason of the liberality shown to the Hebrews at their departure. The first and principal was the favourable disposition toward them with which God was pleased to inspire the Egyptian people; the second and subordinate, but still powerful, because external, reason, was the veneration and awe cherished toward their leader. 'With historical faithfulness,' says Kalisch, 'Moses makes these remarks about his own person: they are historical facts; and he relates them with the same objective impartiality with which Xenophon speaks of himself in the 'Anabasis,' or Caesar in his 'Commentaries.'