And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Ver. 1. _That they may serve me._] _Eventus platarum est alius per accidens, ut simulata emendatio Pharaonis; alius per se, ut dimissio populi._ _a_ a Alsted.... [ Continue Reading ]
And if thou refuse to let [them] go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: Ver. 2. _Behold, I will smite._] God usually, not always, warns before he wounds. _Ideoque minatur, ut non puniat; _ and therefore threateneth, that he may not punish his creature.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: Ver. 3. _And the river shall bring forth frogs._] In... [ Continue Reading ]
And the frogs shall come up both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. Ver. 4. _And the frogs shall come up._] Neither walls nor weapons could keep off the frogs from Pharaoh and his people. As neither could Hatto, archbishop of Mentz, be possibly rid of that army of mice that Go... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. Ver. 5. _And the Lord spake unto Moses._] By secret inspiration; for it was in Pharaoh's presence.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. Ver. 6. _And the frogs came up._] With their hateful hearing of "Brekekekex coax, coax." _a_ a Aristoph., _in Ranis._... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt._ Ver. 7. _And the magicians did so._] _See Trapp on "_ Exo 7:22 _"_... [ Continue Reading ]
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. Ver. 8. _Intreat the Lord._] In extremity a hypocrite will cry for help, as a pig under the knife... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, [that] they may remain in the river only? Ver. 9. _Glory over me._] Or, Jeer me, andreject me, as thou hast done heretofore: but when t... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, To morrow. And he said, [Be it] according to thy word: that thou mayest know that [there is] none like unto the LORD our God. Ver. 10. _To morrow._] _Cras vat corvina._ "Today, if ye will hear his voice." Now is the day of grace, &c.; procrastination is perilous. Hannibal, when he coul... [ Continue Reading ]
And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only. Ver. 11. _In the river only._] _See Trapp on "_ Exo 8:9 _"_... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: and Moses cried unto the LORD because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. Ver. 12. _And Moses cried unto the Lord._] Not for Pharaoh's conversion; for he knew he was past cure; but for his deliverance from the present plague, that the power... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. Ver. 13. _According to the word._] _Iste vir potuit apud Deum quod voluit._ Moses might do what he would with God, as one said of Luther.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank. Ver. 14. _And the land stank._] As once this land also did by those unclean frogs that came out of the Pope's mouth. Rev 16:3 But England is now no more a babe, said King Henry VIII, in his protestation against the Pope: _a_ there is n... [ Continue Reading ]
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Ver. 15. _But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite._] Heb., A breathing, or respiration. So fulfilling that of the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 26:10. In like sort William Rufus, bein... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Ver. 16. _Stretch out thy rod._] Here is no warning given; which shows great wrath. Impenitency makes God "weary of repenting." Jer 15:6 Absol... [ Continue Reading ]
And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Ver. 17. _All the dust of the land became lice._] Or, gnats. _Quid cniphe villus?_ saith P... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast._ Ver. 18. _But they could not._] Though they endeavoured it, as did the magician of Antwerp, who, being required by the English merchants there to play his feats a... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This [is] the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Ver. 19. _This is the finger of God._] An act of omnipotency, as Luk 11:20 Psalms 8:3. "The heavens are the work of God's fingers." _Deus dispon... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Ver. 20. _Rise up early in the morning._] Sanctificat, sanat, ditat quoque surgere mane. Early ris... [ Continue Reading ]
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms [of flies] upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms [of flies], and also the ground whereon they [are]. Ver. 21. _Shall be full of swarms of... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms [of flies] shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I [am] the LORD in the midst of the earth. Ver. 22. _And I will sever._] Heb., Marvellously separate, by setting upon them my _signum salutare._ Eze... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be. Ver. 23. _And I will put a division._] Heb., A redemption; so Luke 1:68. Aristotle reporteth that, when from the hill Etna there ran down a torrent of fire that consumed all the houses thereabouts, in the mids... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD did so; and there came a grievous swarm [of flies] into the house of Pharaoh, and [into] his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm [of flies]. Ver. 24. _A grievous swarm of flies,_] i.e., Numerous and pernicious; yet not so bad... [ Continue Reading ]
And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. Ver. 25. _Sacrifice to your God in the land._] Persecutors, when they cannot conquer, would compound.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses said, It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? Ver. 26. _Will they not stone us?_] Superstition is cruel; witness the Popish... [ Continue Reading ]
We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us. Ver. 27. _As he shall command us._] Manner as well as matter, circumstance as well as substance, to be heeded in God's service; else there may be _malum opus in bona materia,_ as one saith... [ Continue Reading ]
And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me. Ver. 28. _Only ye shall not go very far._] So loath was he to lose his hold. So is the devil. _a_ The Pope made large offers to Queen Elizabeth, as... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms [of flies] may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD. Ver. 29. _Deal deceitfu... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD. Ver. 30. _Intreated the Lord._] _See Trapp on "_ Exo 8:12 _"_... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms [of flies] from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. Ver. 31. _There remained not one._] Prayer makes clean work; it can do wonders in heaven and earth. Say thou with David, "Cleanse thou... [ Continue Reading ]
And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. Ver. 32. _And Pharaoh hardened._] All blows and pressures were so far from mollifying him, that he hardened and emmarbled more and more.... [ Continue Reading ]