_GOD ESTABLISHES THE LAW CONCERNING THE FIRST-BORN: REPEATS HIS COMMAND CONCERNING UNLEAVENED BREAD: HE CONDUCTS THE ISRAELITES, BY THE WAY OF THE DESERT, TO THE RED-SEA: MOSES TAKES THE BONES OF JOSEPH WITH HIM: THE LORD GOES BEFORE THE ISRAELITES IN A PILLAR OF CLOUD BY DAY, AND OF FIRE BY NIGHT._... [ Continue Reading ]
SANCTIFY UNTO ME ALL THE FIRST-BORN— The Lord not only appointed an annual festival commemorative of his redemption of Israel, and ordained a weekly remembrance of it, Deuteronomy 5:15 but also commanded _all the first-born_ of the _males_ (Exodus 13:12 and Numbers 3:40.) to be _sanctified;_ that is... [ Continue Reading ]
IT SHALL BE WHEN THE LORD SHALL BRING THEE, &C. _THAT THOU SHALT KEEP THIS SERVICE IN THIS MONTH_— Many commentators observe, that the words of this verse prove that the Israelites were under no necessity to observe the passover, and consecrate their first-born, till they entered into the land of Ca... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT SET APART UNTO THE LORD— _Shalt cause to pass over._ Margin of our Bibles. Shalt _transfer_ the right from thyself to the Lord. See Numbers 3:12. _Every firstling that cometh of a beast, i.e_. a _clean_ beast, was to be offered in sacrifice. For the rest, see Numbers 18:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY FIRSTLING OF AN ASS THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB— Or _kid._ Margin of our Bibles. It appears, from Numbers 18:15 that this was to be understood of all unclean beasts in the general. It is not easy to say why the _ass_ particularly is specified; perhaps this creature, being the most numerous,... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH THE WAY OF THE LAND— Or, _Towards the land._... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD LED THE PEOPLE ABOUT THROUGH THE WAY, &C.— Dr. Shaw is of opinion, that the first settlement of the Israelites was at _Heliopolis;_ and that _Kairo_ was the _Rameses,_ the capital of the district of that name, where the Israelites had their _rendezvous,_ before they departed out of Egypt. God is... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES TOOK THE BONES OF JOSEPH— See Genesis 50:25. One would conclude from Acts 7:16 that the bones of _all the patriarchs,_ as well as of _Joseph,_ were, upon this occasion, removed out of Egypt; and the Jews have a tradition, that _every tribe_ brought the bones of the heads of their families with... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM SUCCOTH, AND ENCAMPED IN ETHAM— The Lord for wise and good reasons, not thinking proper to lead the people directly into Canaan _through the land of the Philistines,_ which was but a journey of a few days, (see Exodus 13:17.) conducted them towards the wilderness of Shur, ch. Exodus 15:22.; upo... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD WENT BEFORE THEM— There can be no doubt that the _Jehovah_ here mentioned was the same blessed Person who appeared to Moses in the bush; who conducted the Israelites through the wilderness; whom they there tempted; and who, St. Paul tells us expressly, was Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:9. This g... [ Continue Reading ]