The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 2

1111.ting with a s!Bt.cment of the great fact, &mi;-le word of the text ~y the phrMe II I will that the Egyptie.D.11 were swaJI011•cd np. Tiu!llc bmld him a 1anctuary. Tho meaning iff a three portions arc: I. ,·cni. 2-5, "The Lord J>01!8ible one : but mOl!t modern comme11tato111 prefer to connect the verb ucd with a root is my 111:rcngth," to "They 118.Dk into the bot- moaning "beautiful," and tran11late " I will tom as a stone.~ 2. ven. 6-10," Thy right glorify him." (So GeseuillB, Roeenmiiller hand, 0 Lord,~ to "They 111111k like lead in Knobel, Kalilch, Cook. The LXX bJLve 8of&crw'. the mighty watcni." 3. vcni. II-12." Who The V ulgatc h&11 gloriftcabo. Tbo Syrian e.nd Coptic venioD.11 agree, &11 do ali!o thP, Targum.a is like unto Thee, 0 Lord," to " The earth of Jonathan and of JeT11Balem.) The Goel of 11wallowcd them." The first verse stand.B my father. See the comment on eh. iii. 6. l!Cparate from the whole, 88 an introduction, Ver. 3.-A man of war. A strong anthro- and at the same time as the refrain. Moses ~orphiBm, but one that could scarcely be and a chorus of men commenced their chant m1sundel"lltood-" a man of war," meaniug 'l\'ith it, and probably proceeded to the end COIJ11Don1y "a warrior," or "one mighty in battle" (Ps. l(l(iv. 8). God"s might had jDBt of vcr. 5, when Miriam, "·ith the Hebrew been proved, in that he alone had discomfited "'omen, intcrpaied with a repetition of the and destroyed the most potent armed force in refrain (see ver. 21). The chant of the the whole world. The Lord. ii hi.a :name. malCll was resnmed and carried to the close of J e~ovah-:--t~~ alone-existing One "truly de- ver. I O, when again the refrain ea.me in. It 11Cnbcs him, before whom all other existence fades and falls iuto nothingness. On the fall 'l\'&S further repeated after ver. 12; and once mC1LDing of the name, see the comment on more at the clmie of the whole" BODg." Simi- eh. iii. H. l&r refrai1111, or burdens, are found iu Egyptian Ver. 4.-Pharaoh'• oharlotl and. hi.a holt. melodiCll The " host" of this passage is not the " army " of eh. xiv. 9, though in the original the same PART L word is need, bot the whole moltitnde of those Ver. 1.-Thn 1W11 Ko!B and the chili!ren who rode in the chariots, and were drowned in of llrael. It is in accord.a.nee with the g•,nera.l the sea. Kath he out. Or" hurled." The modesty of MosC!l, that he sayi; nothing of the verb commonly expresses the hurling of a composition of the "song." No serions doubt javelin or the shooting of an arrow. llis of his authorship has ever been entertained ; oho■en captaina. Compare eh. xiv. 7. Me hnt the geneml belief rests on the improba- drowned.. Literally," were eobmerged." The bility of there having been among the Is- word describes the act of drowning, not raelites a second literary genius of the highest the state of lying drowned in the depths of order, withoatany mention being made of him. the 8elL The joint-singing by MosCll and " the children Ver. 5.-The d.sptha have covered them, of Israel" impliCll the previ011B training of a Bather "covered them." Into the bottom. choir, and would seem to show that the 111- Literally, "into the abyss." Like a ltolle. raclites rcma.iued for some days encamped at The warriors who fought in chariots com- the point which they had occupied on quitting monly wore coats of mail, composed of bronze the bed of the 8elL He bath triumph.ell glo- plates sewn on to a linen base, and overlap- riaaaly. Litera.l.ly," He is glori011Bly gloriona." ping one another. The coats covered the anos ( w36fon k36f....,.,...,, LXX.) the bone to the elbow, and descended nearly to the u4 hia riller. Bather, " The hone and knee. They mDSt have been exceedingly his Mirer." Chariots, not cavalry, are in the heavy : and the warrior who wore one mWJt mind of the writer. have 1nnk at once, without a struggle, like a Ver. 2.-rhe Lor4 ii my ltreDgth &ILd lltone or a lump of lead (vene 10) IODg- Literally, "My strength and 11011g is Jab_" TbenaI11e Jal, had notprevio11Bly been Ven. 6-18.-Between verses 5 and 6, used. It is COIIUIWnly regarded as an abbre- Miriam's chorne was probably interposed- viated form of Jehovah, and was the fonn " Sing ye onto the Lord," etc. Then began g<:nc..,-ally w;ed iu the t.erm.uwtion of uames, as the second strophe or stanza of the ode. It Abijah, Ahaziah, Herekiah, z.edekiah, Mount is, in the main, exp8I18ive and exegetical of Moriah, etc. It takes the place of "Jehovah" l,ere, probably on account of the rhytlmL Ke the preceding stem.a, going into greater de- ii become my alvation. Literiill1, "He has tail, and drawiug a contrast bet"·een the been to we for sa1 ve.tioo," i.e., " He has de- antecedent pride and arrogance of the Egyp- li,·ered me out of the hand of Pharaoh and his tians and their s11bsequent miserable fall hcst, e.nd so saved me from destruction." I will prepa.re him a habitation. This tnw.s- Ver. 6.-Thy right hand, 0 Lord. Another lation aeems to have i:oroe originally from the anthropomorphilfJn, J,ere 11Sed for the first time 'Ie.rgum of 0Dkelus, who paruphnse11 the 1 CoJDpue ver. 12 ; Dcut. xxxiii. 2; and tha cu. xv fi-13.J