The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 204

EXPOSITION. THE FouRTB PLAGUE. Vors. 20-24.-It has They sometimes drive persons out of their been notic&:! that--sctt.ing apart the last and houses ; and they also devastate the fields. most terrible of the plagues, which stands as it Ver. 20.-Lo, he cometh forth to the water. were b, itself-the remainder divide themselves See eh. vi~, 15, and comment. It is suspected into three groups of three each-two in each that on this occasion Pharaoh " went to the group coming with a warning, and the third Nile with a procession to open the solemn without. (See eh. viii. 16; ix. S; x. 21.) In festival" held in the autumn when the inun- dation was beginning to abate (Cook). Say other respects, no great regularity is observable. unto him. Repeat, i.e., the Divine command There is a general principle of increasing so often given ( eh. v. 1 ; vii. 16; viii. 1). severity in the afflictions, but it does not ob- Ver. 21.-Swarms of files is an unfortunate tain throughout the entire series. The first translation of a single substantive in the three caused annoyance, rather than actual singular number, accompanied by the article. A mixture, etc., is nearly as bad. The writer injllilii!-, either to persons or property. Of the must mean some one definite species of animal, next three, two were upon property, one upon which he called "the 'arob." On the probable both property and person ( eh. ix. 10). Of the identification of the animal, see the Intro- remaining three, two again infilcted injury on ductory paragraph to this Chapter. And also property, while one (the plague of darkness) the ground, The 'arob, like the frogs, was to plague them both inside their houses and out- was a mere personal annoyance. The exact side, but especially inside. character of the fonrth plague depends on the Ver. 22.-I will sever in that day the proper translation of the word 'arob. The land of Goshen. On the position of the Jewish commentators connected this word with land of Goshen, see the Excursus on the 'Erib and 'Arab, words meaning "mingled" Geography. The "severance" is a new feature, and one distinguishing the later or " mixed ;" and supposed a mixed multitude from the earlier plagues. It was an additional of animals-beasts, reptiles, and insects-to be mark of the mir11Culous char11Cter of the visita- meant. But the expression used throughout, tions, well calculated to impress all thoughtful which is ha-'arob, "the 'arob," marks very and honest minds. By all such it would be clearly a single definite species. So much was seen that the God who could make this sever- e.nee was no local God of the Hebrews only, clear to the LXX., who rendered the word by but one whose power extended over the whole 1CUP0µ.vui, "the dog-fly," which is not the earth. common house-fly (Musca domestica), but a Ver. 23.-A division. Literally" a redemp- distinct species (Musca canina). Flies of this tion," i.e., a sign that they are redeemed kind are said to constitute a terrible affliction from bondage, and are " My people,'' not thine any longer. To-morrow. Particulars of time in Egypt (Philo, De 'Dit. Mos. ii p. 101 ; Munk, and place are fixed beforehand, to mark clearly Palestine, p. 120; etc.); but they attack men that the visitation does not take place b[ chie!iy, and do no harm to houses or to the chance, or by mere natural law, but by Gods fruits of the field, whereas the 'arob is spoken positive decree and by his agency. of as a pest in the houses, end as " destroying Ver. 24.-A grievo118 swarm of files. Rather " a multitude of beetles." As with the the land " ( verse 24). It has been, therefore, frogs, so with the beetles, it aggravated the suggested that the Bl,aJ,ta, orient<iliB, or kaker- infliction, that, being s11Cred wiimals, they JJMJ Ue, a kind of beetle, is really intended. might not be destroyed or injured. Beetles These creatures suddenly appear upon the were s11Cred to Ra, the sun-god; and one form Nile in great nmnbers ; they " infilct very of Ra, Chepra, was ordinarily represented under the form of a beetle, or as a man with a painful bites with their jaws ; gnaw and beetle for his head The land was corrupted. destroy clothes, hoUBehold furniture, leather, Rather " destroyed;" i.e. grievously injured, or and articles of every kind, and either consume 11 devastated " ( as .Kalisch renders). The or render unavailable all eatables" (Kalisch). beetles seriously damaged the growing crop11, <lll, VIII. 2~32.) THE BOOK OF EXODUS. 193