INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 10 This chapter is introduced with giving the reasons why the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, Exodus 10:1. Moses and Aaron go in to him, and once more demanded in the name of the Lord the dismission of the people of Israel, and in case of refusal, threatened him with locu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, GO IN UNTO PHARAOH, FOR I HAVE HARDENED HIS HEART,.... Or, as some render it, "though I have hardened his heart" u; or otherwise it would seem rather to be a reason he should not go, than why he should; at least it would be discouraging, and he might object to what purp... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT THOU MAYEST TELL IN THE EARS OF THY SON, AND OF THY SON'S SON,.... Not of his sons and grandsons only; for Moses here, as Aben Ezra observes, was in the stead of Israel; and the sense is, that it should be told to their posterity in all succeeding ages: WHAT THINGS I HAVE WROUGHT IN EGYPT;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES AND AARON CAME IN UNTO PHARAOH,.... As the Lord commanded them, for what is before said to Moses was designed for Aaron also, his prophet and spokesman: AND SAID UNTO HIM, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF THE HEBREWS; as the ambassadors of the God of Israel, and in his name said: HOW LONG WILT... [ Continue Reading ]
ELSE, IF THOU REFUSE TO LET MY PEOPLE GO,.... He threatens him with the following plague, the plague of the locusts, which Pliny x calls "denrum irae pestis": BEHOLD, TOMORROW WILL I BRING THE LOCUSTS INTO THY COAST; according to Bishop Usher y this was about the seventh day of the month Abib, that... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SHALL COVER THE FACE OF THE EARTH, THAT ONE CANNOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE EARTH,.... Or, "cover the eye of the earth" z; either the appearance and colour of the earth, so as they could not be discerned for the multitude of the locusts on it; so the word is used in Numbers 11:7 or the eye of man... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SHALL FILL THY HOUSES,.... The king's palace and all the offices of it: AND THE HOUSES OF THY SERVANTS; the palaces of his nobles and courtiers: AND THE HOUSES OF ALL THE EGYPTIANS; of all the common people, not only in the metropolis, but in all the cities and towns in the kingdom; and so Dr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH'S SERVANTS SAID TO HIM,.... His courtiers and counsellors, such of them as were not so hardened as others, or however now began to relent, and dreaded what would be the consequence of things, even the ruin of the whole country, the good of which they seem to have had at heart: HOW LONG... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES AND AARON WERE BROUGHT AGAIN UNTO PHARAOH,.... Upon this motion of his ministers, messengers were sent to bring them in again: AND HE SAID, GO, SERVE THE LORD YOUR GOD; as you have often desired: BUT WHO ARE THEY THAT SHALL GO? or, "who and who" f? for Pharaoh was unwilling that they sho... [ Continue Reading ]
MOSES SAID, WE WILL GO WITH OUR YOUNG AND WITH OUR OLD,.... The latter were necessary to guide, direct, and instruct in the business of sacrifice, and to perform it as heads of their respective families; and the former were to be present, that they might be trained up and inured to such religious se... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, LET THE LORD BE SO WITH YOU, AS I WILL LET YOU GO, AND YOUR LITTLE ONES,.... Either as mocking them, let the Lord you talk of be with you if he will, and let him deliver you if he can, as I shall let you go with your children, which I never will; or as wishing them ill, that t... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT SO,.... You shall not go with your children as you propose: GO NOW YE [THAT ARE] MEN, AND SERVE THE LORD, FOR THAT YOU DID DESIRE; suggesting that that was all they first required, that their men should, go three days into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the Lord; whereas the demand was, let... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, STRETCH OUT THINE HAND OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT,.... First one way, and then another, towards every quarter, and every part of the land, to signify that the following plague would come upon the whole land: FOR THE LOCUSTS, THAT THEY MAY COME UP UPON THE LAND OF EGYPT; th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES STRETCHED FORTH HIS ROD OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT,.... His hand, with his rod in it: AND THE LORD BROUGHT AN EAST WIND UPON THE LAND, all that day and all that night; all that day after he had been driven from Pharaoh, and after he had stretched out his hand with his rod in it over Egypt, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LOCUSTS WENT UP OVER ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT,.... Being raised up by the wind in the places where they were generated, they flew and spread themselves all over the land, being in a wonderful manner produced and multiplied by the power of God: AND RESTED IN ALL THE COASTS OF EGYPT; in every pa... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEY COVERED THE FACE OF THE WHOLE EARTH,.... Of the whole land of Egypt; and this seems to be the instance in which these locusts differed from all others, that had been or would be, even in their numbers; for though there might have been before, and have been since, such vast numbers of them t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN PHARAOH CALLED FOR MOSES AND AARON IN HASTE,.... Or, "hastened to call them" t; sent messengers in all haste to fetch them, and desire them to come as soon as possible to him. Thus he who a few hours ago drove them from his presence, in a hurry, sends for them to come to him with all speed, whi... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THEREFORE FORGIVE, I PRAY THEE, MY SIN, ONLY THIS ONCE,.... Pretending that he would never offend any more, and if he did, he did not desire it should be forgiven him, but that due punishment should be inflicted on him. These words are directed to Moses, he being the principal person that came t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE WENT OUT FROM PHARAOH,.... Without the city, as he had been wont to do: and entreated the Lord; prayed to him that he would remove the plague of the locusts from the land.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD TURNED A MIGHTY STRONG WEST WIND,.... He turned the wind the contrary way it before blew; it was an east wind that brought the locusts, but now it was changed into a west wind, or "a wind of the sea" u, of the Mediterranean sea; a wind which blew from thence, which lay to the west of Eg... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE LORD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART,.... For as yet he had not brought all his judgments on him he designed to bring: SO THAT HE WOULD NOT LET THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL GO: though he had promised to do it, and that he would never offend more in this way.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES,.... About the eleventh day of the month Abib: STRETCH OUT THINE HAND TOWARD HEAVEN; where the luminaries are, and from whence light comes: THAT THERE MAY BE DARKNESS OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT, EVEN DARKNESS WHICH MAY BE FELT; that is, what caused it, the gross vapours an... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND TOWARD HEAVEN, AND THERE WAS A THICK DARKNESS OVER ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT THREE DAYS. The eleventh, twelveth, and thirteenth days of the month Abib; with this compare the fifth vial, Revelation 16:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY SAW NOT ONE ANOTHER,.... Not only the luminaries of heaven were covered and beclouded with the darkness, so that they were of no use to them; but the fogs and vapours which occasioned it were so damp and clammy that they put out their fires, lamps, and candles, so that they could receive no ben... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH CALLED UNTO MOSES,.... After the three days, as the Targum of Jonathan, when the darkness was over, or at least much diminished, fearing that still worse evils would befall him: AND SAID, GO YE, SERVE THE LORD, ONLY LET YOUR FLOCKS AND YOUR HERDS BE STAYED; stopped or remained behind, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID, THOU MUST GIVE US ALSO SACRIFICES AND BURNT OFFERINGS,.... Sheep, rams, and goats for sacrifices, and oxen for burnt offerings; and that of his own, as Jarchi interprets it; but rather the meaning is, that besides having their little ones with them, they must be allowed also to take... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR CATTLE ALSO SHALL GO WITH US,.... Of every kind, of the flocks and of the herds: THERE SHALL NOT AN HOOF BE LEFT BEHIND; not a single creature that has an hoof: it is a proverbial expression, signifying that they should carry all that belonged to them with them: FOR THEREOF MUST WE TAKE TO SER... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THE LORD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART,.... Yet more and more: AND HE WOULD NOT LET THEM GO; his heart was set against it, his will was resolute, and he was determined never to let them go.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PHARAOH SAID UNTO HIM,.... To Moses: GET THEE FROM ME; be gone from my presence, I have nothing more to say to thee, or do with thee: TAKE HEED TO THYSELF; lest mischief befall thee from me, or those about me: SEE MY FACE NO MORE; neither here nor elsewhere: FOR IN THAT DAY THOU SEEST MY FAC... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MOSES SAID, THOU HAST SPOKEN WELL,.... Not that which was good, in a moral sense, for it was very wicked, but what would eventually prove true: I WILL SEE THY FACE AGAIN NO MORE; which may be understood either conditionally, except he was sent for, and he desired to see him, he would not come o... [ Continue Reading ]