*Plal:106- not ſo much as * one of them. IT. m ( i.e. ) Afffeer the Children of 1j-ae!. Note here, the relative 1s - put without an antecedent before it ; the antecedent being to be un- derſtood and gathered out of the following Verſe, or out of the courſe of the {tory. An obſervation which is very uſeful for the underſtanding of many Scriptures. See the Note on Gen: 3: 1.
29 Bur the children of Itracl walked upon dry land in the midſt of the ſea ; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their lefc.
20 Thus the LORD faved Iſrael that day out of the hand of the Egyptians: and Iſrael ſaw the Egyptians
dead upon the 1ea-ſhore »,
2» Which was done either 1. By the natural. power of the Sea, which caſteth up its dead bodies after a certain time ; till which time God cauſed the 7ſraelites ro abide near the Sea,that they might ſee this for their comfort, Or, 2. By the mighty power of God, which brought them, and their Arms too, as many probably con- ceive, to ſhore, before the uſual time. Queff. How could the 1/rae- lites, both they and their Cattle, in ſo little time get over that great Sea ? Avſw. 1.'Che Hebrewand ſome other Interpreters deny that they
. went over, and tell us, they only went into the Sea, and fetched a compaſs in it, that they might allure the Egyprians to follow them, and then by Moſes his condutt returned to the Egyptians ſhore again. The principal ground of which Opinions this, 'That as they went into the Sea out of the Wilderneſs of Etham, Exod: 13: 20. 1o they
. came again out of the Sea into the Wilderneſs of Etham, Numb: 3 3:8. Bur the ſameneſs of the name doth not prove that it is the ſame place, nothing being more frequent in Scripture, than for divers places to be called by one and the ſame name. And the Jſ/2elites might poſ- fibly give the name of Er/ham to this Deſart on the Arabian ſide of the Red-ſea, either for its great reſemblance to that DNeſart ſo called on the E-yptian ſide ; or to intimat, that God by dividing the Sea, had made thatand this to be one continued Defart. Or the name of Etham might be common to all that Deſart at the end of the Red-Sea, and on both ſides of it. Auſw. 2. They might all conveniently paſs over the Sea to the frabiantſhore in the time allowed for ir, either by the mighty power of God which could calily make both Men and Beaſts to do it in much leſs than ordinary time, or even by the courſe of nature ; for thar part of the Sea was not above eight or nine miles over, as Geographers and others affirm. And the time alloted for their paſſage ſeems to me to be much more thin Interpreters have aſſigned for it. For the Eryptians and Iſraelites were divided one from another by the cloudy Pillar all che night,ver: 20. and a ſtrong | aſt- wind blew all that night, ver: 2x. The next MOrning, as I appre- bend it, the Cloud Rill keeping between them, and poſlibly coyer-
+ Heb:
* Hab: 3.
8, 10.
EXODUS.
And it came to paſs, that in the morning watch ,
|
; Veity probable from the nature and reaſon of the thing, ſtand deba-
Chap.
ing the Egyptians with gro's and horrible darkneſs which hindred their march, the whole body of the 1ſraelires, and their Cattel roo, are drawn by Moſes his direction near the ſhore, and, it may be,the Cattcl were put into the Sea, all which might well take up moſt of that day ; then rowards the evening they enter into the Sea,and ſo p:oceed, and the Cloud withdrawing further from the Ezyprians, and following the {ſraelites, the Egyptians purſue after them, and, as it is
ting ſome conſiderable time, when they came to the ſhore, wherker they ſhould venture to follow them into the Sea or no. Ar laft,the worſt Counſel prevails, as it generally happens when a People are under a Divine Infatuarion, and intro the Sea they oO, and by the beginning of the morning-watch they draw near the 1/-aelites, when (zod ſeaſonably appears for 1722's tuccour, and puts a ſtop to the march of the Egyptians, So the morning watch mentioned wer. 24, I rake to be, not the morning-watch of that night, mentioned ver: 20
21, ( for al that night, and therefore rhe morning-wartch of that night, which was a third, or at leaſt a fourth part of it, was now paſt and gone ) but the next-morning-watch after that night, and the ſucceeding day ; which ſeems much more reaſonable, than to ſhrink up the maich, firſt of the 1-aelites, and then of the Egyptians
into about three hours time,which is the time between rhe midnight and the morning-watch, Nor is there any thing in the Text which inthe leaſt contradi&s this Opinion, bur only that this days interval and work isnot mentioned in this Story ; whereas ſuch omiſſions are frequent in Scripture-relations,in which the ſubſtance only 1s men- tioned, and many circemſtances omitted, whereof we have ſeen ſome inttances already, and ſhall meet with many more hereafter.
31 And [ſrael faw that great Fwork which the LORD +
did upon the Egyptians: and the peoplefeared the Lord, #994 and believed the LORD, and his ſervant Moſes.
CHAP. XY.
Moſes and the people proiſe the Lord, 1, &c. They want water, 22. The waters of Marah are litter, 23. Tae perple murmure againſt Moſes, 24.
Hz cricth unto the Lord, the waters are ſweetued, 25, They come to El, where they find 12 wells of water, and threeſcore and ten palms res, 27. | 'Hen ſang * Moſes and the children of Iſrael e this ſong unto the LORD 5, and ſpake, ſaying, I will : 9 ſing unto the LORD ; for he hath triuniphed glorioully, the horſe and his rider hath he thrown into the ſea. a Moſes compoſed the ſong, and he, togerher with the Iſraelites, ſung it. 6 Unto the honour and praiſe of God.
2 The LORD is my ſtrength and * ſong +, and he « x
is become my falvation? he is my God,-and I will pre- 02x
pare him an habitation c ; my father's God, and 1 will Pfal:r
exalt him- and 2
+ The matter or ſubje& of the preſent Song of praiſe. c A place 22410
for his Service and Worſhip, where he will Jeet] by his ork _ and x, I4.
ſence, | 3 The LORD js a man of war 4; the LORD is his 1®? ame.
d An eminent Warrior ; as the phraſe is uſed 1 S$am:17:33. Thus
an eloquent man 1s called 2 man of words, Exod: 4: 10. and a mighty man, a man of arm, Job 22: 8. 3:
4 Pharaohs chaitots and his hoſt hath he caſt e into the ſea : his choſen captains alſo are drowned in the red-ſea.
e With great force like an Arrow out of a Bow ; as the Hebrew word fſignihes.