The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 105

(oobra), which the Egyptia.n king& bore in teach us anything-day, night, the heavens, their hcaddres,, B!i a mark of sovereignty (Co.non the firmament, the beB!its, the fowls of the llir, Cook) the fishes, nay, the very stones-have a voice. Ver 4-.-lly the tail. A sno.ke-cho.rmer They teach. us, speak to us, declare to us, cry will lll'ually take up his serpents by the neck, ou~ aloud, !1ft ~p their voice, shout, sing, pro- 50 that the,- ma, not be able to bite him. claim Gods will, whether man will hear or Moses "-es Jjidden to show his trnst in God by whether he will forbear. (See Ps. xix. 1-8; 'biking up his serpent by the tail. His cou- Job xii. 7, 8; Hab. ii. 11; l..uke xix. 4-0, etc.) rage, o.s well o.s his fa.ith, is shown in his ready Equally, or rather much more, must ll miroclo obedience. It beea.me a rod. A ve:it&ble rod lie regarded as having a voice. God speaks to once more. not e. mere stiffened snake like the us bv it. "rods'' of the magicians ( eh. vii. 12) v·er. 9.-If they will not believe also. Ver. 5.-That they may believe. The sign " .Et,en" would be a better translation than 'l\•as to con'l"ince the Isro.elites, in the first in- "&110," The river is of course "the Nile." stance. and cause them to accept the mission See the comment on eh. ii. 3. Of the three of Moses (see vers. 30, 31 ). It was afterwards signs given, the first would probably convinco to be exhibited before Pharaoh (ver. 21 ), to all those who were religious, well-disposed, t.ry him and prove him, but not to convince and fair-minded; the second, acting upon their him. f5!1rs, would mov:o all but the desperately Ver. 6.-Farthermore. The first sign is w1cked, who desp1Sed J ehoveh o.nd put their followed by a second, equally simple and easy trnst in the gods of the Egyptians (Josh. xxiv. of perfonnn.ncc, and perhaps, in the eyes of the 14 ; Ezek. x.x. 7, 8; xxiii. 3, 8, etc.). The Israelites, even more marvellous. Leprosy in third sign was for these last, who would re- a developed form was regarded as absolutely gard the Nile as a great divinity, and would incurable. (Celsus, •De Re Medica,''I". 7-8.) 'see in the conversion of Nile water into Its instantaneous production and removal were blood a significant indication that the God contrary to all experience, a.nd in themselves who had commissioned Moses was greater than thoroughly astonishing. Further, while the any Egyptian one. irst miracle was simply a sign of supernatural Ver. 10.-And Koees said, 0 my Lord, power-ii credential, ilie second was a warning The phrase used by Moses is full of force. It and a lesson. What might not he do to smite is "vox dolentis et supplicantis" (Noldius). or to save on wliom God had bestowed such J oseph's brethren use it to the steward of power over the human organ.ism ? Each man J osepli's house, when they expect to be fallen would naturally fear to resist or disobey one upon and to.ken for bondsmen (Gen. xliii. 20); so dangerously gifted. Leprous as snow. Judah used it ( ib. :xliv. 18) when pleading The Greek. name for the worst form of leprosy, with Joseph for Benjamin ; Aaron when plead- A•{,ICTI, was based on this fact of whiteness. ing for Miriam (Num. xii. 11); Joshua when The loathsome disease is thns described by expostulating with God about Ai (Josh. vii. Kalisch :-" It begins with mealy crnsts and 8). There is a deprecatory idea in it, as well scurfy scabs, originally not lo.rger than a pin's as a supplicatory one ; an idea like that which point, a little depressed in the skin (Lev. xiii Abraham expanded into the words, "Oh I let 3. 30), and covered with white hairs ( ib. 3, 20). not the Lord be angry, a.nd I will speak yet These spots rapidly spread ( i"b. 8), and prodnce but this once" (Gen. xviii. 32). Moses feels wild [proud?] flesh (w. 10, 14-). The leprons that he is trying the patience of God to the svmptoms appear most frequently on the hairy uttermost ; but yet he must make one more parts of the bodv, and also on members which effort to escape his mission. I am not elo• have been ulcerously affected. When the le- quent. Literally, as in the margin, "a man prosy has gained ground, fhe wlw1,e skin appear, of words." "Words do not come readily to glos•y whit,e at the f~rehead, nose, etc., tube- my tongue when I attempt to speak ; I have rated, thickened, dry like leather, but smooth ; never been a fluent speaker, neither yesterday sometimes it bursts, a.nd ulcers become visible. (i.e. recently) nor the day before (i.e. for- The nails of the hands and feet fall ; the eye- merly). Nor do I even find that I have be- lids bend backwards ; the ha.ir covers itseli come eloquent by divine inspiration since thou with a fetid rind, or goes off entirely (Lev. spo.kest with me. Still I remain slow of xiii. 42). All erlernal senses are weakened : speech and slow of tongue." A question is the eves lose their brightness, become very raised whether the mere difficulty of finding sensitive, and are continually blearing ; from words and giving them utterance-a difficulty the nostrils tull£ a fluid phlegm." (' Comment. felt at first by almost every speaker-is here on Exodus,' p. 50.) meant, or something further, as "a natural Ver. 8.-The voioe of the first lign. Some impediment owing to defect in the orgallB of understand " the voice of Moses as he gave speech" (Kalisch), or a want of readiness, owing them the first sign ; " but it is better to regard to disuse, in speaking the Hebrew language the sign it.Bell as speaking to them. Accord- (Clarke). The latter suggestion is scarcely ing to the aacred writers everything that c.an ~ n t with the ease and fluency with on. 1v. 11-17.] THE IlOOK OF EXODUS. 87