The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 76

of e. rough shepherd, expect to he.ve with so.me t_ime to explain its true meaning u tho mighty mono.rch of o.ll Egypt-the son of somethmg more than "The Existent "-as Rameses the Greo.t, the inheritor of his power really " The Alone Existent "-the source of a.nd his glories? And o.go.in, Who am I, that all existence. Henceforth this no.me, which I should bring forth the children of Israel 1 he.d previous!y been but little used e.nd pe-r- Who.t weight co.n I expect to ho.ve with my he.pa less understood, predominated over every countrymen, who will he.ve forgotten me-- other, wo.s cherished by the Jews themselves whom, moreover, I could not influence when I e.s e. sacred tree.sure, e.nd recognised by those wo.s ,in my full vigour-who then "refused" a.round them e.s the proper appellation of the my guide.nee o.nd forced me to quit them? one e.nd only God whom the Israelites wor- True diffidence speaks in the words used- shipped. It is found in this sense on the there is no ring of insincerity in them ; Moses Moabite ~tone (' Records of the Past,' vol. xi., we.s now e.s distrustful of himself e.s in former p. 166), in the fragments of Philo-Byblius, and de.ys he he.d been confident, e.nd when he he.d elsewhere. become fit to be e. deliverer, cee.sed to think Ver. 14.-I Al!rl TllAT I Al!rl. No better himself fit. translation ce.n be given of the Hebrew words. Ver. 12.---{lertainly I will be with thee. "I will be that I will be " (Geddes) is more Literally, "Since I will be with thee." Moses literal, but less idiomatic, since the Hebre"' was he.d excused himself on the ground of unfit- the aimplest possible form of the verb substan- ness. God replies--" Thou wilt not be unfit, tive. " I e.m became I e.m" (Boothroyd) is Bince I will be with thee--! will supply thy wrong, since the word a;ihe:r is certainly the deficiencies-I will impart all the .. que.litics relative. The Septuagint, 'E-yca ••I'-• 6 i:,,,, ex- thou needest-e.nd this shall be e. sign unto plains re.ther the.n translates, but is otherwise thee of my power e.nd faithfulness-this shall unobjectionable. The Vulge.te, sum qui sum, assure thee tbe.t I e.m not sending thee upon e. has absolute exactness. The idea expressed by fruitless erro.nd-it is determined in my coun- the no.me is, as already explained, that of real, sels that not only shalt thou succeed, e.nd lead perfect, unconditioned, independent existence. the people out, but e.fter that-when thou hast I AM he.th sent me to you. " I e.m " is an so done--thou e.nd they together she.11 serve e.bbrevie.ted form of " I e.m the.t I e.m," e.nd is me on this mountain." The "sign" was one intended to express the so.me idea. which appealed to faith only, like the.t given Ver. 15.-The Lord God. In the original to Hezekiah by Isaiah (1 K. xix. 29), but, if Jehovah elohey-"Jehovah, God of your accepted, it gave a full assure.nce--the second fathers," etc. The no.me is clee.rly e.n equ.ivo.- step involved the first-the end implied the lent of the " I AM " in the preceding verse mee.ns---if Moses we.s of a certainty to bring The exact mode of its formation from the old the Israelites to Sinai, he must fust lee.d them root hava, "to be," is still disputed e.mong the out of Egypt-he must in some way or other best Hebre.ists. This is my name for ever. triumph over all the difficulties which would Henceforth there will be no che.nge--this will beset the undertaking. be my most appropriate no.me so long o.s the Ver. 13.-Wha.t is his ne.me1 It is not a.t world endures--•• The Existent"-" The Alone all clee.r why Moses should suppose that the Existent"-" He the.t is, e.nd was, e.nd is tu Israelites would ask him this question, nor come" (Rev. i. 4, 8; iv. 8 ; xi. 17; xvi. 5) does it even appear that they did ask it. My memorial. The no.me whereby I e.m to be Perhaps, however, he thought that, as the spoken of. Egyptians used the word" god," generically, Ver. 16.-Gather the eldera. It is gene- and he.d a special no.me for each po.rticule.r rally thought that we a.re to understand by god-e.s Ammon, Phthah, Ra, Mentu, Hor, " the elders " not so much the more e.ged men, Osiris, and the like-when he told his people as those who bore e. certain official rank aml of "the God of their fathers," they would con- positipn among their brethren, the heads of clude that he, too, had e. proper no.me, e.nd the various houses ( eh. vi. H, 25; xi. 21 ), would wish to know it. The Egyptians set who exercised e. certain authority even during much store by the no.mes of their gods, which the worst times of the oppression. Moses we.s in every case had a meaning. Ammon we.s first to prevail on them to acknowledge hIB 'the concealed (god)," Phthah, "the re- mission, and was then to go with them to vealer," Re.," the swift," etc. Hitherto Israel's Pharaoh and make his representation (ver.18). God had had no no.me that could be called a I have surely visited you. The words are a proper no.me more than any other. He had repetition of those used by Joseph on his been known as " El," "The High;" " Shad- deathbed (Gen. I. 24 ), and may be to.ken to de.i," "The Strong;" e.nd "Jehovah," "The mean," I ho.ve done o.s Joseph prophesied-I Existent ;" but these terms had all been felt have me.de his words good thus fe.r. Expect, to be descriptive epithets, e.nd none of them therefore, the completion of wbe.t he pro- had passed e.s yot into o. proper no.me. What mised." we.s done e.t this time, by the a.uthority of God Ver. 18.-They she.11 hearken to thy voice. himself, we.s to select from e.mong the epithets Moses thought they would despise him-tum one to be distinctly a proper name, and at the a deaf ee.r to his words-look upon him a.s  6@ 'l'HE BOOK OF EXODUS. [ OH, m, 19-2a.