d An emphatical repetition, to ſhew their Courage in attempting to ſay, and do ſuch things to ſo great a Monarch in his own mn gs and their fidelity in the execution of all God's com- mands. |
7 And Moſes was fourſcore years old, and Aaron fourſcore' and three years old, when they ſpoke unto Pharaoh e. .
e The Ages of Moſes and Aaron here, as of Levi and Kohath chap- ter 6. 16, 18. and before them of Jacob and Joſeph, are ſo exattly ſer down, that thence we may underſtand the accompliſhment of God's prediction, Gen: 15: 13. and the time of J/raels being in
Egypt.
8 TAnd the LORD ſpake unto Moſes, and unto Aaron, ſaying,
9 And Pharaoh ſhall ſpeak unto you, ſaying, Shew a miracle for you : then thoy ſhait ſay unto Aaron F,
It.
* Take thy rod g, and caft it before Pharaoh, nd it :
thall become a ſerpent h.
f By whoſe hands this and other Miracles were to be done,and
not by Moſes immediatly ; partly to take off the ſuſpicion that theſe Miracles were wrought by ſome magical Artifice of Moſes ; ol pe tr Iy for the greater honour of Mo{es, that he might be what Gol had ſaid, verſe 1. AGod to Pharaoh, who not only could work Wonders himſelf, but alſo give Power to others to do ſo. x The ſame Rod is called the rod of God,and of Moſes,and of Aaron,here and v. 12. becauſe 1t was appointed,and as it were conſecrated by God,and uſed both by Moſes and Aron in their grear Works. © And this Rod Moſes ordi - narily held in his hand, and delivered it to Aaron upon occafion for the execution f his commands. h Heb. 4 dragon, which is,a great Serpfnt. Others, a Crocoailz, to whole Jaws he had expoſed the {raelifiſh Infants.
Io And Moſes and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did fo as the LORD had commanded : and Aaron caſt down his roa before Pharaoh, and before his Servants, and it became a ſerpent.
11 Then Pharaoh alſo called the wife-men *, and the ſorcerers 8 now the wagicizns # of Egypt, they alſo did in like manner & with their inchantments.
* Under which general Title he ſeems to comprehend all who, were molt eminent in any fort of Wiſdom,cither Natural,or Civil, or Divine, who were a!l called to give their Opinion and Advice ith theſe Matters. 5 The ſame now called Sorcerers, who ated by the power of the Devil, whom by certain Rites and*.C>remonies they engaged to their afſiſtance. OF theſe the two chief wers Jannes and Jambres, 2 Tim. 3: 8. k In ſhew and appearance, which was not difficult for the Devil to do, either by altering the air and the ſpeCtatours ſight, and by cauſing their Rods both tolook and move like Serpents ; or by a ſudden and ſecret conveyance of real Serpents thither, and removing the Rods. Nor is it {trange that God permitted thoſe deintions,partly becauſe it was a juſt puniſh<
[|
ment upon theEgyptians for their horrid and manifold Idolatry,and
barbarous Cruelty towards the 1faclites, and their. other Wicked. neſs 3 and partly becauſe there was a ſufficient difference made be- rween their Impoſtures,and the real Miracles wrought by Moſes and Aaron, as appears from the next verſe, and from chapter 8:18. and! from other paſſages. And this is a great evidence of the truth of Scripture Story, and that it was not written by fiction and deſign, For if Moſes had written theſe Books todeceive the World, and"to advance his own Reputation, ( as ſome have impudently {aid ) it is ridiculous to think that he would have pur inthis, and many other: paſſages, which mighe ſeem fo much to eclipſe his:honour, and the glory of his Works, ;
12 For they caſt down every man his rod, and they became {erpents /; but Aarons rod fwallowed up their
rods ”m.
_ 7 Either x. in appearance. For the Scripture oft Weaks of things.
* Chap: 6: 6:
otherwiſe then they are,becauſe they ſeem to be ſo. And therefore. -
as the*Devil appeareth to Saul in the likeneſs of Samuel, is -cailed.
Saruuel ; fe may theſe Rods upon the ſame account be anited Ser-* M 3 pens,
- Pay 4&6 +
£ _
= Chap.
wm _ 5 becauſe through Diabolical illuſion they ſeemed to be ſo. [oat Shocerng in make expreſſed, werſe 11, m By which it was evident, either that Aaron's Rod was rurned into a real Serpent, be- cauſe it had the real properties and <ffe&s of a Serpent, wv:z. to de- vour ; or, at leaſt, thar the God of Iſrazl was infinitely more
powerful than the Egyptan Idols, or Devils. 13 And he F hardened: Pharaoh's heart that he
* Chap: 4: 0 not unto them, * as the LORD had aid.
el. + The Lord, to whom this A& of hardening is frequently aſcri- bed both in this Book and elſe where. *Chap:3s: 14 { And the LORD faid unto Moſes, * Pha-
15.andio- roah's heart is hardeneth »: he refuſed to let the 1,29,27. people go. | » Is obſtinate, and reſolved in his way,ſo as neither my Word nor Works can make afiy Imprethon upon him. >=_ Is Get thee unto Pharaoh 1n the morning, lo he goeth out unto the water o, and thou ſhale ſtand b the rivers brink, | ri he come : and the rod which was turned to a ſerpent, ſhalt thou take into thine hand. o (5. e.) Nilus, whether he went at that time,cither for hisRecre- ation ; or to pay his Morning worſhip to that River, which the Egyptians had in great Veneration, as Plutarch teſtifies.
i6 © And chou ſhalt fay unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath ſent me unto thee, ſaying, . *Ch.o..,, Let my people go, * that they may ſerve me in the Chap: 3: ** ? 12,18.and Wilderneſs : and behold, hitherto thou wouldelt not
5:1, 3. hear. | 17 Thus faith the LORD, In this thou ſhalt know
* Chap.q. tat 1 am the LORD -: *X Behold, 1 will ſmite 4
- . * Rev.16: which are in the river 7, and they ſhall be curned * to
6. blood <s. | |
p Becauſe thou ſaidſt, 170 is the Lord ? and I know not the Lord, chap: 5: 2. thou ſhalt know him experimentally, and to thy coſt. qviz. By Aaron's hand,who ſhall do it by my command :nd direEtion. Thus Pilate is ſaid ro give Chriſt's body zo Joſeph, Mark 1<: 45. be- cauſe he commanded it to be delivered by others to him. The fame ation is aſcribed to the principal and inſtrumental Cauſe. r N:lus, which was one of their principal! Gods ; and therefore 1: was inex- cuſable in them, that they would not renounce thoſe feeble Gods which were unable to help not only their worſhippers, but even