of valom: Such was the temper of the king Neither will I let I1rael go, i.e. " nr,r even, if before whom we believe that Moees and Aaron he were, would I consent to such a request 1111 appeared. There would be no difficulty in this from him." The Pharaohs 1188ll1Iled to b8 themselves gods, on a par with the national any Egyptian subject, who bad a prayer to gods, and not bound to obey them. make or a petition to present, obtaining an Ver. 3.-And they Rid. Moses and Aaron audience of the monarch, for it was an ac- are not abashed by a single refusal. They ex- cepted principle of the administration that postulate, and urge fresh reasons why Pharaoh the kings were to bear all complaints, and should accede to their request. But first they explain that J ebovah is the God of the He- admit to their presence all classes of the brew■ . by which name the Israelites seem to community, have been generally known to the Egyptians Ver. 1.-And alterward. The interpoeition ·.(See eh. i. 15, 16, 19; ii. 6, 7.) Their God, of some not inconsiderable space of time seems they say, has met with them-made, that is, to be implied. Menepbthah resided partly a special revelation of himself to them-an at Memphis, partly at Zoan (Tanis). Moees idea quite familiar to the king, and whioh he and Aaron may have bad to wait until he re- could not pretend to misunderstand and he has turned from his southern to bis northern laid on them an express command. They are capital. llrloses and Aaron went in, and told to go a three daya' journey into the deaert Pharaoh, Aaron was, no doubt, the sole -to be quite clear of interruption from the spokesman, but as he spoke for both, the plural Egyptians. Will not Pharaoh allow them to is used. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. obey the order? If they do not obey it, their Literally," Thus saith Jehovah, God of Ii.uel." God will be angry, and will punish them, Pharaoh would understand Jehovah to be a either by sending a pestilenoe among them, proper name, parallel to his own Phthah, Ra, or cansing an invader to fall upon them with Ammon, etc. Let my people go. The ratio- the sword. The eastern frontier of Egypt was nala of the demand is given in eh. viii. 26. at this time very open to 'invasion, ana was The Israelites could not offer their proper actually threatened by a vast army some ten sacrificial animals in the presence of the or fifteen years later (Brugsch, ' History of Egyptie.ns without the risk of provoking a burst Egypt,' voL ii., pp. 147-9). oheligions animosity, since among the animals Ver. 4.-The king makes no direct reply to would necessarily be some which all, or many, this appeal, but turns upon his petitioners, and of the Egyptians regarded as sacred, and under charges them with an offence against the no circumstances to be killed. The fanaticism crown. Why do they, Moses and Aaron, by of the Egyptians on such occasions led to wars, summoning the people to meet together, and tumults, and'massacres. (See Plutarch, 'De exciting their minds with vague hopes, " let Isid. et Osir.,' § 44.) To avoid this· danger the people from their works." This is damage the " feast " must be held beyond the bounds to the crown, whose labourers the people are, of Egypt-in the adjacent "wilderness." and he, the Pharaoh, will not have it. " Get Ver. 2.-And Pharaoh said, Who I is the you-all of you, people and leaders together- Lord 1 Rather," Who is Jehovah?" Either to your appointed tasks-your burdens." Pharaoh is actually ignorant, or he pretends to Ver. 5.-The people are many. This is be, The former is possible, since Jehovah was added as an aggravation of the offence charged a name but little employed, until the return in the last verse. The people are numerous, of Moses to Egypt. The latter, however, is Therefore the greater damage is done to the more probable. That I should obey his voice. crown by putting a stop to their labow:s. Why am I to obey his voice ? What is your With these words the first interview between Jeh<Hah to me? What authority has he over the Israelite leaders and the Egyptian. monarch me ? He is,,at best, your god, not mine. I ends. MOBes and Aaron, we must suppose, lmow not lehovah. !_acknowledge him not. retired discomfited from the royal presence He--is not within the range of my Pantheon.
HOMILETICS. Vera. •l-5.-God's will often opposed by the great of the ~rth, and his serua~t, rebuffed. Encouraged by their success with the elders a.nd with the people (eh. 1v. 29-31), Moses and Aaron would step boldly into the presence ?f Phar:a,oh. It w:as, no doubt, known 'that· they represented the feelings of an ~ntire na.t10n, a n(;t:1on moreover of whom the Egyptians had begun to be afraid (eh. 1. 9, 10). The court1us would treat them, at any rato, with outward politeness and respect •. They knew also that God was on their side, and would ultimately, if not at the first? give them s1~ccess. Under these circumstances they made their request boldly and with ~uch plainness (vers. 1 and 3). But they were met with the most complete a.ntagorusm. _.Phare.oh was in his own evea not onl v the greatest king upon the face of the earth, but an actual THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [err. v. 1- 21