E~PUSITION. Vers. 2i--35.-F!NA\, DEROENT OF MORES he t&lked with him. Rather, "through his P'ROM 1-TKAI. The r.o,•!'nant he,•ing been re- talking with him." The glory of God, a.s re- nrwro. M~ei; preperrd t.o dl'!lcend, he\'ing first ,·Pn.led to Moses on I.his occasion, caused his hnwe,·er rec.,•ivro e commend t.o commit to face to brcome henceforth radiant: Comparo the effect of the transfiguration (Matt. xvi i. 2). writing tbe \\·ordi; of this sPcnnd co,•enant (ver. The Vulgate wrongly translates ktiran, "to 271. He recei,·ed back the tables from God, shine," as if it were derived from keren, " a 1mrribt-d with the Ten CollllillLndments, and hom " - "·hence the painters of medire,-al aftrr e stay in SinRi of equal duration with tim~s commonly represent Moses e.s horned. the formrr one (,•er. 28), descended. having St. Paul's words (2 Cor. iii. 7) are conclusive as to the true meaning. t.he tahl"" in his hands. He was not awe.re Ver. 30.-They were afraid. They shrRllk that I.he skin of his face he.d become re.dient from Moses, as if he were more th,m man. (,·er. 2ll). and first learnt the fact by the (Compare Ezek. i. 28; Rev. i. 17.) Perhaps rulers being afraid to come near him (ver. 30). they thought that what they saw was his spirit. After conversing with them and with the Ver. 31.-llloeea oalled unto them. Mosea bade them approach-no doubt assured them people he rei;ol,.cd to "put a vail on his face " that there was no cause for fear ( cf. Luke xxiv. ordinarily. only taking it ofl when he" wont 38, 39)-and hy his manner and familiar in before the Lord " into the " tent of meet- voice dispelled their fears and re-assured them. ing."' and when, having received a message Aaron. an.d all the rulers . . . retnrn.ed from the Lord to the people, he came out to unto him. Apparently, in their alarm they deli,·er it. he.d drawn hack. Being re-assured, they "re- tumed." Ver. 27.-Write thou th- word&. Lite- Ver. 32.-All th&t the Lord had spoken.. raU y. " l\Tite tJ1ee these words "-..e., " write "All," i.e., "that the Lord had commanded them for thyself and for thy people." Aooorcl- him to enjoin upon. them "--especially the ing to the ten.or of th- worda have I made precepts in vers. 10-26-not ell that he had a oovenan.t. That is, " the coven.ant on my heard from God m the space of forty days and pa.rt is condition.al on the observance of these forty nights. worda on the part of Israel." The " words " V ers. 33--36.-Till llloses had done speak- intended are those of vers. 1~26. ing with them. The Hebrew text will not Ver. 2S.-Ke wu there with the Lorcl bear this rendering. All the ancient versions forty day& an.4 forty nigh.ta. As on the (LXX. Vnlg. Syr. etc.) and the Targums former occasion ( eh. :a.iv. 18). The patience agree that the meaning is--" when Moses had and faith of the people was tested by this done speaking, he put a veil on his face." second long delay. Happily, they stood the And this agrees with the plain. meaning of test : and on Moses' final descent from Sinai vers. 34 and 35, which are to be taken con- the • lsraelit.es were foun.d expectant and nectedly. Moses first delivered his message obedient (vers. ~ 2 ) . Ke did neither eat with face un.veiled, then he veiled himself, bread JUI!' chink water. This was so also on and thenceforth he wore a veil at all times the former OCC&Sion (Dent. ix. 9), though it is except when he sought the Divine presence in n.ot mentioned in Exodus. Then.ear presence the ·• tent of meeti11g " or the tebern.acle, and of God sustained the vital powers and made when he delivered to the people any message food unnecessary. Moses, Elijah (1 Kings sent them from God by him. He wore the xix. 8), and our Lord have alone accam- veil ordinarily to prevent them from being plished a fast of this dnr&tion. Modem dazzled. He took it off when he entered the parodies ue not held by scientific men to tehemacle, that the Divine presence might belong to the category of established facts. shine fully on him and renew his strength, lle wrute upon. the tables. It has been He kept it off when he retnmed, if he had any argued from this expression that Moses wrote message to the people, until he he.d delivered the words on the second tables ; an.d it would it, in order the more fully to authenticate the be natural so to understand the passage, had message and shew to the people that it we.s nothing else been said on the 81lbject. But in from God. Then the ohildren. of lBrael B&W ver. I we are told that " God said, I will write the face of ][oeea, that the llkin. of ][osea' faoe upon these tables :" an.d the eame is repeated lhon.e (ver. 35). Having discharged himself in Deat. x. 2 Moreover in Deut. x. 4, it is of the message intrusted to him, he once more distmL1.lv declared "He" (i.e. God) "wrote covered himself, and con.tinned veiled until he OD the t.lhles according to the :finrt writing." again entered the tabemacle. The only W" must therefore regard " he " in this pas- objection that can he taken to this exegesis is 11&ge as meaning "the Lord." which is quite derived from 2 Cor. iii. 7-16, which has been possible according to the Hebrew idiom thought to imply that Moses wore the veil Ver. 29-Tbe akin of hil flMle lhon.e while when.ever he was in the sight of the people. THE BOOK OF EXODUS.
Hut the p11118age doeR not renlly esRert e.ny snr,h of Christianity (vers. 13. 1A): .,.hile nt the thing It is quite enough for the argument. so.me time he argues th ..t it muv he viewed 1L• that under the old covenant n veil hlld been typical of tb ..t blindne!!8 and durkue,is which worn to conceal some of its glory. This r,on- W88 characteristic of the Jewillb nation of hill cealment St. Paul contrasts with the openness day.