The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 30

it is better watel"l'd at present than the other ; encamped in places whic.h had no name. 2. 1~ being somewhat less remo,·ed from the Viewed as an itinerary, the record is mani- direc,t line between Wadv Ghurnndel and festly incomplete Ver. 2.-The whole congregation , , , mur- Sinai than El Markha ; and S. A cert:a.in cor- mured, It has been obsen·cd abo.-e, t.bat only respondency of sound or meaning between the poorer sort could ha,·e been as yet in any some of the present geographical names along peril of actual starvation ; but it may well ha,-o this rout~ and thCl'e of the Mosa.ic narrative. been that the rest, once launched into the In " the wilderness of Sin ~ the Israelit~ for ...-ildernes..", and becoming practically ac- qua.intoo with its unproductiveness, foresaw the first time found themsekes in want of that ultimately st.'lrvation must come upon sufficient nourishment. They bad consumed them too, when all the cattle were eaten up, the grain which they bad brought with them or had died through insufficient nourishment out of Egypt : and thongb no doubt they bad Nothing is more clear than that, without the still considerable flocks and herds, yet they miracle of the manna, it would have been im- possible for a population of two millions to were un&C"eu..q-0med t-0 a mere milk and flesh ha.-e supportoo tbemsekes for forty years, or diet, banng in Egypt li.-ed principally upon even for two years, in such a region as the bread (ver. 3), fish (Nnm. x:i. 5), and vege- Sinaitic peninsula, e.-en though it had been tables (ibid.). They therefore "murmured," in ancient times three or four times as pro- a&d w::cused Moses and Aaron of an intention ductive as at present. The cattle brought out to starve them. It is qnite possible that many of Egypt must have rapidly dunimshed ( eh. xni. 3) ; and though the Israelites had of the poorer sort, ba.nng brought with them brought with them also great wealth in the no cattle, or lost their cattle by the 'ITilY, and precious metals, yet it must have been some not being helped by their brethren, were in time before they conld establish commercial actual danger of stanaiion. Hence God was relations with the neighbonring nations so as to obtain such supplies as they needed. Thus not angry, birt "heard their murmurings" we can well understand that at the expiration (.-er. 9) patiently, and relieved them. of a month the people generally shonld have recognized that their situation was one of Ver. 1.-They journeyed from Blim, and great danger, and should ba.ve vented their all the aongreption aa.me. It ba.s been discontent upon their leaders. noted (Cook) that the form of expression Ver. 3.-Would to God we had died by "seems to imply that the Israel.it.a; proceeded the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt- in detach.men!& from Elim, and were fust i.e.," Wonld that God had smitten us with a assembled as a complete host when they painless death, as he did the first-born of the reached the wilderness of Sin." This acoords Egyptians I Then we shonld have avoided well with their numbers and with the character the painfnl and lingering death from starva- of the localities. They conld only assemble tion which we now see before us." The cry all rogether when they reached some consider- pub! on the garb of piety, and names the name able pla.in. Betwaen Elim and llillai. This of Jehovah, bnt indica~ a want of faith in expression must be regarded as ragne to some him, his power, and his promises (eh. iv. 8, 17; extent. On the direct line, as the crow flies, vi. 8 ; xii. 25 ; xiii. 5, 11 ), which was sinful, there is no " wilderness " ( midbar) between and, after the miracles that they had seen, Wady Ghmundel and Sinai. All is mountain barely excnsable. When we aat by the and vallev. All that the writer means is that lieah-pots of Egypt. Compare Nnm. xi. 5 "the wilderness of Sin" lay upon the ordinary, 13-0th passages make it clear tha.t, wba.teve1 or at anv rate an ordinary route between Elim the sufferings of the Israelites in Egypt from e.nd the.great mountain. This is equally true the cruelty of the taskmasters and the hard of El Markha and the Debbet-er-Bamleh. On tasks set them., at any rate their snstenanc~ the fifteenth day of the aeocmd month--i.e., was well cared for-they had abundance of on the 15th of Zif, exactly one month after agreeable food. Did eat bread. It bas been their departure from Egypt. As only seven said that " bread" here means " food in camping places are mentioned (Nnm. :uxiii. general" (Kalisch); and no doubt the word 5-11 ), and one journey of three days through has sometimes that sense. But it was pro- a wilderness ( eh. xv. 22), it is evident that bably actual bread, rather than anything else, there mllSt either have been long stays in for which the Israelites were longing. See several p!&ces, or that they mllit have oftei, the lnu-oduction to the chapter en. XVI, 1-3.) THE DOOK OF EXODUS. 31