The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 209

EXPOSITION Vers. 25-32.-The fourth plague moves the in Egypt (Herod. ii. 65). On one occasion Pharo.oh moro than any preceding one. He even e. Roman e.m be.ssador we.s put to death still cannot bring himself to grant the demand for accidentally killing e. cat (Diod. Sic. i. 83). Stoning does not appear to have been e. legal of Moses ; but he offers e. compromise. The punishment in Egypt, so that we must suppose Israelites sho.ll have e. respite from their toils, Moses to ha.ve fee.red the people present taking and be permitted to hold their festive.I, a.nd the law into their own hands, seizing the sacri- offer the needful sacrifices in Egypt (ver. 25). ficers, a.nd killing them by this ready method. When this offer is for good ree.sons not ac- Ver. 27.-Three days' journey into the cepted, he yields even further-he will let the wildemeas, Th.is was the demand made from the firnt (eh. v. 3) by Divine direction (eh. iii. people go a.nd sacrifice in the wilderness-only 18). Its object was to secure the e.bsence of they must not "go far a.way" (ver. 28). Hav- Egyptians as witnesses. As he shall command ing made this promise, he obtains for the us. Compare eh. x. 26, where Moses obsen-es second time the intercession of Moses and the -"We know not with what we must serve discontinuance of the plague in consequence the Lord until we come thither." Divine directions were expected as to the number and of it. But then, as before, when he saw that the selection of the victims. there was respite (ver. 15), he retract~d his Ver. 28.--0nly ye eh.all not go very far promise, hardened himself, a.nd refused to away. Here for the first time Pharaoh shows e.llow the people to quit Egypt (ver. 32). his ree.l objection to letting the Israelites go-- he is afraid tha.t they will escape him. So he Ver. 25.-In the land-i.e., in Egypt with- suggests the compromise, that they shall just in the limits of my dominions, so that I may enter the wilderness on his ea.stem border, re- not lose sight of you-far less run the risk of maining near the frontier, a.nd therefore with- losing you e.ltogether. in his reach. Moses seems to ha.ve me.de no Ver. 26.-It is not meet so to do. So mo.ny objection to this proviso. As Kalisch says, auime.ls were held sacred by the Egyptians, " he committed himself entirely to the guid- some universo.lly, some pe.rtie.lly, that, if they e.nee and direction of God." The three days' held a great festive.I anywhere in Egypt, the journey which he had requested by Divine Israelites could not avoid offending the re- co=a.nd (eh. iii. 18) would not take him far ligious feelings of their neighbours. Some beyond the Egyptian frontier. Entreat for o.nimals would be sure to be sacrificed-white me. Compare ver. 8. An abbreviated form cows, or heifers, for instance-by some of the is now nsed, e.s sufficiently intelligible. people, which the Egyptians regarded it es Ver. 29.-To-morrow. As Pharaoh ha.cl sacrilegious to put to death. A bloody con- fixed the " morrow " for the departure of the flict, or even e. civil war, might be the conse- second plague (ver. 10), so Moses now an- quence. By the abomination of the Egyp- nounces a similar date for the departure of the tians seems to be meant animals of which the fourth. He adds a. remonstrance against a.ny Egyptians would abominate the killing. It further deceit or tergi'•ersation, w h.ich Phare.oh has gennrally been supposed that either cows must have felt to be well deserved. alone, ,,r " cows, bulls and oxen " are meant ; Ver. 31.-There remained not one. The but recent researches seem to show that it was hand of God was shewn in the removal no less only white cows which it wus absolutely un- than in the infliction of the plagues. The lawful to sacrifice. (See 'Records of the Pust,' complete disappearance was us abnormal as vol. ii. pp. 90, 96, 99 ; vol. x. pp. 44, 62, etc.) the sudden coming. Will they not stone us 1 Death was the legal Ver. 32.-At this time also, Compare eh penalty for wilfully killing any s11cred animal vii. 13, 22; eh. viii. 15. 198 THE BOOK OF EXODUS.