The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 75

llllO!ies e.t this time was repeated to Joshua than Holland or Hanover, and not much larger (Jo;;h. v. 15). Holy ground, Litere.lly, than Wales. It contains about 11,000 square " ground of holiness "-ground rendered holy miles. To an Israelite of the e.ge of Moses by the presence of God upon it-not "an old sue~ a land would appear sufficiently "large ;" sanctuary," as some have thought, for then for 1t WW! considerably larger the.n the entire Moses would not have needed the information. Delta of Egypt, whereof his nation occupied Vor. 6 - The God of thy father. " Father" the smaller half ; and it fell but little short of here is u,;ed collectively, meaning forefathers the entire cultivable area of the whole land of generally, a usage well 1..-nown to Hebraists. Egypt, which WW! the greatest and most (Compare eh. xv. 2, e.nd;ch. xviii. 4.) The powerful country known to him. It may be God of Abraham, etc., i.e. the God who re- added that the land included in the covenant vealrd himself ro Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which God made with Abraham (Gen. xv. and entered into covenant with them (Gen. xv. 18-21), and e.ctnally possessed by David and 1-21; n.,i. 2-5 : xxxv. 1-12). The con- Solomon (l K. iv. 21), WW! a "good land clusion which our Blessed Lord drew from this and a large," according even to modern no- verse (Matt. xxii. 32) is not directly involved tions, including (e.s it did) besides Pales- in it, but depends on his minor premiss, " God tine the whole of Syria, and thus contain- is not the God of the dead, but of the living." ing an area of from 50,000 to 60,000 square Kosea hid his fe.oe. A natural instinctive miles. The phrase ii.owing with milk and action. So Elijah, on the same site (l K. :xix. honey, first used here, and so common in 13) and the holy angels before God's throne in the later books (Num. xiii. 27 ; Deut. xxvi. heaven (Is. TI. 2). In the religious system of 9, 15; xxxi. 20 ; J er. xi. 5; xxxii. 22 ; Ezek. Rome, the augurs when discharging their xx. 6, etc.) we.s probably a ;proverbial expres- office, and all persons when offering a se.cri.fice, sion for " a le.nd of plenty, and not intended veiled their heads. (See Liv. i 18; Virg. .lEn. literally. See what the spies say, Nnm. xiii. 27 iii. 405; Juv. TI. 390.) The enumeration of the nations of Palestine Ver. 7.-1 ha.ve surely seen.' Literally here made is incomplete, five only of the ten "Seeing I have seen "-an expression imply- whose land was promised to Abraham (Gen ing continua.nee. On the force of the anthro- xv. 19-21) being expressly mentioned. One, pomorphic terms " seeing, hearing, knowing," however, that of the Hivites, is added. We e.s used of God, see the comment on eh. ii. 24 may suppose that they had succeeded to the -25. Taskmasters. Not the general superin- Kenizzites or the Kadmonites of Abraham's ..endents of eh. i. 11, but subordinate officials, time. The only important omission is that of who stood over the labourers and applied the the Girgashites, who hold their place in most rod ro their backs. (See above, eh. ii. 11.) other ennmerations (Gen. x. 16; xv. 21; Ver. 8.-1 am oome down. Another an- Dent. vii. 1; Josh. iii. 10; xxiv. 11, etc.), but thropomorphism, and one very common in seem to have been the least important of the Scripture (Gen. xi 5, 7; xviii. 21; Ps. xviii. "seven nations,"and are omitted in Judg. iii. 5. 9; cxliv. 5, etc.), connected of course with the (" Girge.shites" is introduced in the Samaritan idea that God has a special dwellingple.ce, version and the Sept.) which is abcn,e the earth. To bring them up. Ver. 9.-This is a repetition, in substance, Literally correct. Palestine is at a much of ver. 7, on account of the long parenthesis in higher level than Egypt. (Compare Gen. xii. ver. 8, and serves to introduce verse 10. The l 0 ; xiii. 1 ; xxxvii. 25 ; xxxix. l ; xlii. 2 ; nex·us is : " I have seen the oppression - I xlvi. 3, 4 ; 1. 25.) A good land and a large. am come down to deliver them--eome now, The fertility of Palestine, though not equal to therefore, I will send thee " that of Egypt, we.s still very great. Eastward Ver. 11.-And Moses se.id.,, Who am I, of J orde.n, the soil is rich e.nd productive, the that I should .go, etc. A great change had country in places wooded with fine trees, and come over Moses. Forty years earlier he had the herbage lnxuriant. Vast tracts in the been forward to offer himself e.s a " deliverer " spring produce enormous crops of grain, and He " went out " to his brethren and slew one throughout the year pasturage of every kind is of their oppressors, and "supposed his brethren abundant. "Still the countless flocks and would have understood how that God by his herds may be seen, droves of cattle moving hand would deliver them " ( Acts vii. 25). on like troops of soldiers, descending at snnset " But they understood not" (ibid.) They to drink of the springs-literally, in the lan- declined to accept him for leader, they re- guage of the prophet, " rams, and lambs, and proached him with setting himself up to be goats, and bullocks, all of them fatlings o! "a ruler and a judge" over them. And now, Be.she.n" (Stanley, 'Jewish Church,' pp. 217, taught by this lesson, and sobered by forty 218). The western region is less productive, bnt years of inaction, he has become timid and by careful cnltivation in terraces may be made distrustful of himself, and shrinks from putting to bear excellent crops of corn, olives, and figs. himself forward. Who am I, that I should l'alestine proper to a modern European seems go to Phare.oh 1 What weight can I, a fo- small, being about the size of Belgium, less reigner, forty years an exile, with the manner1  THE BOOK OF EXODUB. 57