_MOSES IS BORN, AND EXPOSED IN THE FLAGS ON THE NILE. HE IS FOUND, AND TAKEN OUT BY THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH, AND DELIVERED TO HIS MOTHER TO BE NURSED. HE IS AFTERWARDS EDUCATED IN THE COURT OF PHARAOH. WHEN GROWN UP, HE KILLS AN EGYPTIAN, FLIES INTO MIDIAN, AND MARRIES ZIPPORAH._ _Before Christ 15... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WENT— From the passages referred to in the margin of our Bibles, it appears, that the name of the father of Moses was Amram, and his mother's Jochebed; _a daughter of Levi,_ we render it; which means a descendant, one of the house and family of Levi (_Levitidem,_ as Houbigant has it). As i... [ Continue Reading ]
A GOODLY CHILD— _Fair to_ GOD, αστειος τω Θεω, as St. Stephen calls him, Acts 7:20. And prophane authors agree with the sacred writers with respect to the peculiar beauty of this infant. The Jews have a thousand childish stories on this occasion. The famous Huet conjectures, that the fable of the bi... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN SHE COULD NOT LONGER HIDE HIM— The king's decree, as we have observed, ch. Exodus 1:22 was, no doubt, peremptory and severe. Fearing therefore the extreme danger of a discovery, which would have proved fatal both to the child and themselves, the parents were forced, though with the utmost regre... [ Continue Reading ]
TO WIT WHAT WOULD BE DONE TO HIM— _To observe what should become of him._ They were not without hope, as the watch they set intimated, that some way God might save him from his danger. _Note;_ There are seasons, when we are driven to venture all on God's providence; and we should do it with cheerful... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DAUGHTER OF PHARAOH— Josephus calls this princess Thermuthis; Artaphanes calls her Meris; and the Alexandrian Chronicle, Myrrina. She _came down to the river to wash herself,_ probably for religious purification as well as health or pleasure: for the ancient Egyptians were used to wash themselve... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, THE BABE WEPT— You have here an instance of the true sublime: nothing can be more concise, yet nothing more picturesque and pathetic. No wonder the heart of the princess was moved, and that the beauty of the child struck her with irresistible pity and love. She immediately, and naturally, co... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID HIS SISTER, &C.— The hand of Providence was very visible in this whole event: and as it inspired the heart of Pharaoh's daughter to have the child educated as her own; so it inspired _Miriam_ to approach the princess, and offer her services, to go and call a Hebrew nurse. One may easily im... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILD GREW, &C.— It is uncertain at what age Moses was delivered by his parents to the princess. It is, however, reasonable to suppose that his parents had so well instructed him in their religion, and taken such care to let him know both what relation they bore to him, and what hopes they h... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN MOSES WAS GROWN— The event mentioned in this verse, must have happened many years after Moses was grown to man's estate. St. Stephen says, _he was full forty years old,_ Acts 7:23. It seems to follow, from St. Stephen's account, that he was stirred up by some Divine impulse to visit his brethre... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, &C.— See Acts 7:25. A Jesuit, (Berruyer) who has written the history of the people of God, thinks it highly probable, that these two quarrelsome Hebrews were _Jannes_ and _Jambres,_ mentioned by the Apostle, 2 Timothy 3:8 as having withstood Moses, because they would not acknowledge him... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SOUGHT TO SLAY MOSES— Both as guilty of homicide, and as presuming to be the avenger and deliverer of his people. Moses, however, escaped from his wrath, and fled into the land of Midian, which was in _Arabia Petrea,_ whose metropolis was called _Petra,_ not far from mount Horeb. It is generally... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN— Or, _now a prince of Midian._ See Genesis 41:45. The original word signifies either _priest_ or _prince._ Jethro, probably, was both, as was usual in those days. He appears to have been a priest of the true GOD, from ch. Exodus 18:11. The event here recorded respecting his... [ Continue Reading ]
SHEPHERDS CAME AND DROVE THEM— i.e. _The flocks,_ away; for the original word is masculine. _But Moses stood up and helped them;_ chastising the rudeness of the shepherds, not by force, as we may imagine, since he was alone against many; but by that authority and pre-eminence, which education, wisdo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN THEY CAME TO REUEL THEIR FATHER— In Numbers 10:29 our translators have called this person _Raguel,_ though the Hebrew word is the same in both places. In Joshua 1:16 he is called _a Kenite;_ in Joshua 4:11 he is called _Hobab;_ and in the first verse of the next chapter, he is called _Jethr... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT HE MAY EAT BREAD— The father reproached his daughters with want of hospitality to the _Egyptian,_ (for such Mosses seemed to them from his dress and language,) and ordered them to call him, _to eat bread, i.e_. to receive refreshment and entertainment at his house. Dr. Shaw observes, that the E... [ Continue Reading ]
GAVE MOSES ZIPPORAH HIS DAUGHTER— Moses is extremely concise in this account which he gives of himself. It is most probable, that he continued some time with _Reuel,_ and approved himself to him by his good services, before he gave him Zipporah to wife. It is observed by Philo, that _men of a great... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME TO PASS IN PROCESS OF TIME— That is, about forty years afterwards; see ch. Exodus 7:7 compared with Acts 7:23. This king of Egypt who died was _Rameses,_ according to Bishop Usher, who places his death in the year of the world 2494. His successor was Amenophis, who was drowned in the Red-sea ab... [ Continue Reading ]