'l'he Book of Exodus is so closely connected with the remainder of the Pentateuch that it has but seldom, comparatively speaking, been made the subject of distinct and separate comment. The great bulk of those who have written upon it, have been either composers of "Introductions" to the whole of the Old Testament, like Eichhorn, Bertholdt, Carpzov, Havernick, Keil and Delitzsch, De Wette, Jahn, Herbst, Michaelis, Bleek, and Stahelin, or writers of commentaries on the entire Pentateuch, like Vater, Knobel, Baumgarten, Marsh, Jahn (Aechtheit des Pentateuch), Hartmann, Fritzsche, Kalisch, and Bush. One English writer of repute, Graves, occupied somewhat narrower ground in his 'Lectures on the Last Four Books of the Pentateuch,' which in England was long reckoned among standard theological works. The volume devoted to Exodus by Kalisch, though part of a general commentary, stands on a somewhat peculiar footing, since it was written .and published separately by one who viewed "Exodus" as "forming the centre of the Divine Revelation," and as being consequently "the most important volume which the human race possesses." As the comment of a Jew, a special interest attaches to this treatise, the author having certain advantages of intimate familiarity with the text and close acquaintance with Hebrew customs and ideas, which render his remarks deserving of attentive consideration. Of comments on Exodus alone, the earliest which deserves mention is that of Rivet, entitled ' Commentarii in Exodum,' which will be found in his Opera Theologica, vol. i. published at Rotterdam in 1651. After this, no contribution of much value was made towards the right understanding of the work until Rosenmiillcr published his 'Scholia in Exodum' in 1822. The strictures of Von Bohlen in his 'Alte Indien' (1835) called forth in 1840 the excellent work of Hengstenberg, entitled 'Aegypten und Moses,' which, although containing reference to Genesis, is in the main a comment on Exodus, of great value in all that regards Egypt and the Egyptians. 'l'hirteen years later Keil and Delitzsch commenced the publication of their great work, 'Einleitung in die Ka.nonischen Schriften des al ten 'l'est.a.mentes,' by commentaries on Genesis and E:xotlus, which were translated into English in Clark's Edinburgh Series in the year 1864. Kalisch's 'Historical and Critical Commentary,' which has been already mentioned, appeared within two years of that of Keil and Delitzsch, but was written apparently without any knowledge of it, and bhows throughout marks of original and independent thought. It was published simultaneously in English and in German, in the year 1855. In 1857, two years later, the editors of the' Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch zum alten Testament,' published by Hirzel of Leipsic, gave to the world a still more elaborate comment than either of these, entitled 'Die Bucher Exodus und Leviticus erklart von Augustus Knobel,' in which great and varied learning was brought to bear on the subject, and a view taken which, though rationalistic to a certain extent, was moderate in comparison with the older generation of German commentators, as De Wette, Von Lengerke, and Stahelin. Finally, in 1871, the first volume of the 'Speaker's Commentary ' contained an Introduction and Explanatory Comment on 1 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 1· p, 442 INTRODUCTION. XXXll
Exodus, accompanied by e.dditional Notes and Essays-the joint production of Canon Cook and the Rev. B. Clark, remarko.ble for the great knowledge of Egyptian history and of the ancient Egyptian language which it displayed-a. knowledge that at once placed the principal author in the first rank of European Egyptologers. Some good collections have been made in recent years of the Jewish commentators upon Ex:odus, or the Pentateuch generally. Among these the most important are • Mechilta, der alteste halach. und hagad. Commentar z. 2. Buch Moses, von J. H. Weiss,' Wien, 1865 ; • Wehishir, gesammelte, erlauterte, Midrasch- und Halachasteken z. Duche Exodus des Pentateuch, von R. Chefez Aluf,' Leipzig, 1873; and' Der Pentateuch, mit folgenden zehn Commentatoren, Raschi, Ibn Esra, Ramban, Ra.schbam, Balhaturim, Sefurus, Asvi Eser, Mesora.s Ta.rgum, Paschegen, und dem Commentar Nesina.-la.-ger von R. Nathan Adler, femer mit Ta.rgum und Toldos Aron,' Wilna., 1876. Important works have also been written on portions of Exodus, e. g. that of Bryant, entitled 'Observations upon the Plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians,' 2nd edition, London, 1810, and that of Millington OD the same subject; also Michaelis, ' Mosa.isches Recht,' Frankfurt, 1775-80; and the following upon the Tabernacle-Friedrich, 'Symbolik der Mosaischen Stiftshiitte,' Leipzig, 1841; and Neumann, 'Die Stiftshiitte, Bild und W ort,' Gotha., 1861. Important light has also been thrown OD this last- mentioned subject by Mr. Ja.mes Fergusson, in Dr. Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bibl11' a.rt-. Temple, THE
BOOK OF EXODUS. INTRODUCTORY SECTION. CHAPTERS I., II. TUE OPPRESSION OF ISRAEL IN EGYPT, WITH THE BIRTH AND EA.BLY LIFE OF MOSES.
EXPOSITION.