_PHARAOH PURSUES THE ISRAELITES: MOSES STRETCHES HIS HAND OVER THE SEA; WHICH IS DIVIDED; AND THE ISRAELITES PASS THROUGH THE MIDST OF IT, AS UPON DRY LAND: THE EGYPTIANS, FOLLOWING THEM, ARE DROWNED._ _Before Christ 1491._... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, THAT THEY TURN— Dr. Shaw is of opinion, that this expression _to turn,_ &c. may serve to determine the geography of Etham, the second station of the Israelites; which, if it appertain to the wilderness of the same name, the edge of it may be well taken for the most... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WAS TOLD THE KING OF EGYPT, THAT THE PEOPLE FLED— That is, were flying away, and wholly removing out of the land. It appears from the whole tenor of the history, that Pharaoh never intended absolutely to part with the Israelites; and his disposition was such, that he never regarded his word or pr... [ Continue Reading ]
HE TOOK SIX HUNDRED CHOSEN CHARIOTS— These six hundred, most probably, were those which appertained to the king's guard, and were always ready to attend him, being the very choice and strength of his army. Besides these, it is said, he took _all the chariots of Egypt._ Chariots were very early, and... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT OUT WITH AN HIGH HAND— This may be rendered, agreeably, to the Hebrew, _pursued after the children of Israel, even the children of Israel going out with an high hand;_ that is, in an uncontrouled manner, independent upon, and defying the Egyptians. See 2 Samuel 20:21. The... [ Continue Reading ]
BY THE SEA— This sea, which has been mentioned frequently before, is commonly called _the Red-sea,_ or _the sea of Suph;_ which is supposed to be a species of _alga,_ or a marine moss. But Robert Southwell, being at Lisbon, learnt there, from the mouth of an able jesuit, (who had travelled into Ethi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY WERE SORE AFRAID— We shall have frequent occasions to remark this unbelieving and pusillanimous spirit in the Israelites; who, though they had seen to many miracles wrought in their favour, and though they came forth from Egypt with so _high an hand,_ Exodus 14:8 no sooner saw danger before... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES SAID UNTO THE PEOPLE, FEAR YE NOT— The sublimity and grandeur of this reply of Moses can be equalled by nothing but the calmness and moderation of mind wherewith he addresses these servile and desponding Israelites. See Numbers 12:3. The phrase, in the 14th verse, _and ye shall hold your peace... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES— We may observe once for all, that though ו _vau,_ in the Hebrew, and και in the Greek, have various significations; yet our translators have almost invariably rendered them by the particle _and._ A little variety had certainly added elegance and propriety to their versi... [ Continue Reading ]
LIFT THOU UP THY ROD—OVER THE SEA, AND DIVIDE IT— See Exodus 14:21. It is very common in Scripture to attribute those actions to a person, which are only done by his agency at the command and by the power of another. So here, it was by the immediate power of God that the sea was divided: Moses was s... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL HARDEN THE HEARTS OF THE EGYPTIANS— That is, I will _suffer_ the hearts of the Egyptians to be hardened by their own violent and infatuating passions. See the note on ch. Exodus 9:34. _I will get me honour_] The original word signifies, _to be glorified. Exodus 14:19. The Angel of God, which... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND, &C.— Nothing can be more plain from the context, than that the Almighty power of the Lord, by the instrumentality of _a strong east wind,_ caused an absolute division in the body of the waters of the Red-sea; and therefore those commentators seem much to blame, who ende... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WATERS WERE A WALL—ON THEIR RIGHT HAND, AND ON THEIR LEFT— A lively tradition of this passage of the Israelites through the Red-sea, has been preserved in many writers: and Diodorus, the master of St. Chrysostom, has amply refuted all those objections against the _real_ passage of the Israelites... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE MORNING-WATCH— A watch was a fourth part of the time from sun-setting to sun-rising; so called, from soldiers keeping guard by night; who being changed four times during the night, the periods came to be called _watches._ See Matthew 14:25.Mark 13:35.Luke 12:38. It was _in the morning-watch,_... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TOOK OFF THEIR CHARIOT-WHEELS— Houbigant renders this, _irretivit, seu ligavit rotas curruum:_ he _entangled,_ or _bound_ the wheels of the chariots; which making them to drive more heavily, _the Egyptians said,_ &c. The Egyptian host, it is to be remembered, consisted only of chariots and caval... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND, &C.— The Israelites having been safely landed on the opposite shore, the words of Moses, Exodus 14:13 were now about to be fulfilled; the terrible moment of destruction being arrived to the Egyptians. The Lord gave the command: _Moses stretched forth his hand, and... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WALKED— Or, _had walked._ In order more strongly to point the contrast, after the sacred historian has mentioned the utter extirpation of the infidel Egyptians, he repeats, that the Israelites had passed safely through those waters, which became so pernicious to Egypt, whi... [ Continue Reading ]
SAVED ISRAEL THAT DAY— We have observed before, ch. Exodus 12:15 that this deliverance was perfected on the last day of unleavened bread; i.e. on the twenty-first of Abib; and it has been thought that the command, Deuteronomy 5:15 took place from this day; or, at least, from this time became an addi... [ Continue Reading ]