The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 103

rmd its loving tenderness, e.re especially fore thrir f"cd'-o. 1-Iebmism, meaning simply gltmccd at in the comparison. Brought you "before them." unto myeelf. "Brought you," i.e., "to Sinai, Ver. 8.-And all the people e.nswered to- the mount of God, whern it pleases me es- gether. It would seem thut the chlers sub- pecirilly to rovee.l myself to you." mitted to the whole congregation the question Ver. 5.-Now therefore. Instead of asking propounded by Moses ; or at any rate sub- the simple question-" Will ye promise to mitted it to a popular meeting, fairly repre- obey me and keep my covenant?" - God senting the congregation. No doubt the exact graciously entices I.he Israelites to their own purport of the question was made known by advnntnge by e. most loving promise. If they the usual means beforehand, and the assembly will agree to obey his voice, e.nd accept and was summoned to declare, by acclamation, its keep his covenant, then they she.II be to him assent or dissent. The result was a unani- a peouliar treaeure ( segnllah )-e. precious mous shout of approval :-" All that the Lord possession to be esteemed highly e.nd carefully he.th apoken we will do "~.e., "we will obey guarded from e.11 that might injure it. (Com- his voice indeed, and keep his covenant" ( see pare Pa. cxx.xv. 4; and see also Is. xliii.1-4.) ver. 5). In this we.y they accepted the covenant And this preciousness they she.II not share beforehand, not knowing what its exact pro- with others on equal terms, but enjoy ex- visions would be, but e.ssured in their hearts clusively - it she.II be theinl above all that e.11 would be right, Just, and good ; and people. No other nation on the earth shall anxious to secure the promised blessings hold the position which they she.II hold, or (vers. 5, 6) for themselves and their posterity he eque.lly precious in God's sight. All the Moses returned the words of the people unto earth is his : and so e.11 nations e.re his in the Lord-i.e., Moses was the mouthpiece a certain sense. But this she.II not interfere both ways. He took the messages of God to with the special Israelite prerogative-they the people, and carried back (" returned") alone she.II be his " peculiar people " (Deut. their answer. xiv. 2). Vers. 9.-I came unto thee in a thiok cloud. Ver. 6.-Ye shall be u.nto me a kingdom of Literally," in the thickness of a. cloud." God prieets. Or " a royalty of priests" -at once e. must always veil himself when he speaks with royal and e. priestly race-e.11 of you at once man, for man could not bear "the brightness both priests and kings. (So the LXX. render, of his presence." If he takes a human form .aa.al~eiov /,p&..,.,vµ.a.; the Targums of Onkelos that form is a. veil ; if he appears in a burning and Jerusalem, "kings and priests;" that of bush, the very fire is a shroud. On the present Jonathan, "r,rowned kings and ministering occasion it was the more needful that be priests.") They woald be "kings," not only should cover himself up, as he was about. to as " lords over death, the devil, hell, and all dmw near to the whole congregation, among evil" (Luther), but also partly as having no whom were many who were impure and im- earthly king set over them, but designed to penitent. It was necessary, in order that all live under a theocracy (1 Se.m. xii. 12), and might be con~ced of the Divine mission of partly as intended to exercise lordship over Moses, for all to- be so near as to hear him the heathen. Their unfaithfulness and dis- speak out of the cloud ; but sinners cannot obedience soon forfeited both privileges. They abide the near presence of God, unless he is would ,.be "priests," as entitled-each one of carefully hidden away from them. Probably, them-to draw near to God directly in prayer the cloud out of which he now spoke was and praise, though not in sacrifice, and also that which had accompanied the Israelites out as intermediaries between God and the bee.then of Egypt, and directed their march ( eh. xiii. world, to whom they were to be examples, in- 21, 22), though this is not distinctly stated. structors, prophets. And an holy nation. A 'Ihat the people may believe thee for ever nation unlike other nations-a nation conse- Ju "the people" are included their descend- crated to God's service, outwardly marked as his ants ; and they are to "believe Moses for ever, by the symbol of circumcision, his (if they because the law is in some sense of eternal chose) inwardly by the purity and holiness obligation on e.11 men" (Matt. v. 18). And whereto they could attain. These are the Moeea told the word& of the people unto thrj words. Much speaking was not needed. The Lord. It is not easy to assign a reason for th" question was a very simple one. Would they repetition of this clause from vers. 8, in almost accept the covenant or no, upon the conditions identical terms. There were no fresh " words offered ? It was not likely that they would of the people" to report. We can onlv say reject such gracious proposals. that such seemingly needless repetitions are Ver. 7.-And Moses oame. Moses de- ;.,, the manner of archaic writers, who seem to scended from the point of the mountain which intend in this way to emphasise a fact. The he had reached, and summoned a meeting of acceptance of the covenant by the people the elders of the people. When they were beforehand, completed by Moses reporting it come together, he reported to them totid&m, to God, is the necessary basis of e.11 th11t ,.,,,/,is tho message which he h11d received from follows-the required prelilllinu.ry to the giving l_;ud, He is said to have laid the words" be- of a.DJ covenant at all  108 TUE BOOK OF EXODUS. [en. XIX. G, 6.