woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, articles of silver, and articles of · Engl. Vers.-Borrow. piety differ from the most glaring villany but by a few empty words: God hath said it."" However, a moderate degree of calm impartiality, and of Hebrew learning, would have prevented the outburst of this and similar effusions; and the vehemence of the accusation turns itself against the accusers themselves. The Hebrew verb shaal does not mean to borrow (as the Anglican Version also renders), but to ask or demand as a present. (So, among others, the Septuagint, Vulgate, Luther, Mendelssohn, Rosenmüller, Arnheim, Hengstenberg, Lilienthal, Harenberg, Winer, Tholuck, etc.). The same verb is more than once used in this sense; for instance, in Psalm ii. 8: "Ask of me, and I will give nations as thy inheritance". Compare 1 Sam. viii. 10, etc. Thus, no fraud was practised against the Egyptians, who knew that they would not receive back the vessels which they gave to the departing Israelites, and who gave them willingly, because God inclined their hearts to the Israelites (ver. 21). Compare xi. 3, xii. 36. In this sense writes Josephus (Antiq. II. xiv, 6): “The Egyptians honoured the Hebrews with presents; some, in order to make them depart quickly, and others from affection and friendship which they felt for them as their neighbours (Compare Psalm CXXXV. 37: Egypt rejoiced at their departure, for their fear had fallen upon them.") Ebn Ezra endeavours to remove the reproach by the following remark: "Some inveigh against us, and say our ancestors were thieves; but these do not see that it was commanded them by God, and we have, therefore, no right to enquire into the reason, or to question the justice of that command; for God has created everything, gives wealth to whom He pleases, and takes it again from him and gives it to his neighbour, for the whole universe belongs to Him." Similarly Augustin, Calvin, and others. 66 See, however, against this explanation, the arguments of Hengstenberg, (Authenticity of the Pentateuch, ii. p. 512). The manner in which I. D. Michaelis defends the command of God (that the Israelites borrowed originally goods from the Egyptians, and that they kept them as their property only when the Egyptians persecuted them, and thus broke their faith) is more specious than real, and has been ably commented upon by Hengstenberg (loc. cit. pp. 517, 518). Similar is the opinion of Lengerke, who, moreover, strangely brings the circumstances of our verse into connection with a certain pagan custom of the Syrians, practised on their "torch-festival," when golden and silver vessels were fixed on trees and burnt together with them. Still less to be approved of is the argument of Cahen, who observes: "It is easily explicable, that slaves, about to break their chains, did not scruple to deceive their old oppressors; such an action is excusable; it is even, as far as our knowledge of the manners of the ancient Asiatic nations goes, in perfect accordance with their notions. In order to judge with impartiality of the morals of a people, we must be acquainted with its own notions on what is just or unjust, but not criticise antiquity after the conceptions of our time." This argument might be tolerable, if the "deceit " did not originate in a command of God, who is the source of justice and righteousness, and the unchangeable standard of right in all times and all zones; if not in Him, who has commanded "Thou shalt not steal," and who cannot infringe His own laws, which are the necessary emanation of His divine attributes. L. J. C. Justi, in a treatise devoted to this subject, proves that the Israelites had a right to a considerable compensation for the houses, fields, and other property which they were obliged gold, and raiment: and you shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and you shall plunder the Egyptians. to leave behind in quitting Egypt. A similar opinion was already advanced by Abarbanel (fol. 11, b). "That the Israelites possessed much landed property in Egypt is more than probable," see Lengerke, Kenaan, p. 371. It has further been urged, that the Israelites had served the Egyptians most assiduously during several hundred years without receiving the least remuneration; for these services they could justly claim a compensation; and as they could not hope to obtain it from their oppressors with their goodwill, they had a right to secure it by stratagem. However, not the people, but the kings of Egypt had oppressed the Israelites; the former seem even to have sympathized with their miseries; they could, therefore, justly demand indemnification only from the royal exchequer, not from the Egyptian subjects. The Talmud actually relates a law-suit of the Egyptians and the Israelites, before Alexander the Great, who, after having heard the accusation of the former, and the defence of the latter, decided in favour of the Hebrews, and even believed that the "golden vessels" were not a sufficient remuneration for the great works executed by them during the protracted period of their servitude. But we repeat, that all these devices are unnecessary if we interpret the verb shaal as asking or demanding. Winer (ii. p. 113) observes: "The Hebrew text (iii. 21) shows, clearly enough, that this command is an act of divine retaliation, a just spoliation of the oppressors. With this view we must rest satisfied, as the Biblical relations cannot be divested of their subjective points of view without being dissolved into nothing." The Hebrews asked silver and gold vessels from the Egyptians, before their departure, of which the latter were aware, and which Pharaoh had permitted. God turned the hearts of the Egyptians in their favour; they received the presents which they wished, and emigrated with their lawful property. And of her that sojourneth in her house. "The Egyptians might have rented the houses which belonged to the Israelites, and the former were thus the inhabitants of the houses of the latter' (Rosenmüller).—Articles of gold and articles of silver. About the very extensive use made by the Egyptians of vessels and ornaments of precious metals; see Rossellini, Monum. II. ii. p. 345; Wilkinson, Manners, iii. 223 (comp. Gen. xxiv. 53). Ebn Ezra finds it remarkable, that, according to our verse, the women only are to ask for those presents, whilst, in xi. 2, men as well as women are mentioned; and he answers, that the hearts of the women are more fondly attached to ornaments, as chains and bracelets. Abarbanel remarks, women, if residing in the same or a neighbouring house, have generally a more intimate intercourse with each other than men, and they asked, therefore, more universally for presents than the men.-And you shall plunder the Egyptians. The translation of Frisch and others, "And you will deliver the Egyptians, viz., from further plagues which would befall them by your longer sojourn in the land" is improbable. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE. CHAP. III. VER. 1. THE PENINSULA OF MOUNT SINAI. THE Southern part of Arabia Petrea, which is bordered on the east by the Ælanites Sinus, or the Bay of Akabah, and on the west by the Heroopolites Sinus, or Bay of Suez (Red Sea, 1 ), forms an almost acutely-pointed peninsula, which, if a straight line be drawn from the northernmost point of the one bay to that of the other (from Akabah to Suez), is about 70 geographical miles long, and 30 broad, and is now inhabited by not more than 4,000 souls, who support themselves but scantily and with difficulty in that generally sterile and deserted region, and who in years of dearth do not even find sufficient pasture for their flocks. The northern boundary is a long chain of mountains extending almost uninterruptedly from west to east, called El-Tyh (Arab. wandering); at the northern declivity of which, towards Palestine, begins the desert of the same name, the complete name of which is, desert of the "wanderings of the children of Israel." These mountains, the northernmost of which has the distinct but synonymous name El-Dhelel (Arab. straying), are almost of equal height, and extend regularly eastward. The valleys of these mountains abound with excellent pastures, and have fine, though not numerous, fountains. They are at present inhabited by the tribes Terabeyn and Tyaha, the latter of which especially is comparatively rich in camels, flocks, and other property. At the eastern side of the peninsula, along the coast of the Bay of Akabah, numerous irregular chains of mountains, of inconsiderable height, cross each other in such confusion, that this whole tract offers the appearance of a continuous wilderness of barren rocks. The western part of the peninsula is stamped with a similar character, except that it includes several larger valleys. But in the south-west there is the mount Om Schomer, the sides of which are intersected in all directions by a variety of mountain torrents; the surface of the bare and pointed rocks is parched by the sun; all vegetation is withered, and presents everywhere the most awful desolation and the most dreary sterility. This is "the land in which nothing is sown, the land of deserts and of pits, the land of drought, and of the shadow of death; the land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt," to which the prophet Jeremiah alludes (ii. 2, 6. Compare Deut. i. 19, viii. 15; Num. xx. 5). "If I had to represent the end of the world," says Sir F. Henniker, "I would model it from Mount Sinai. It would seem as if Arabia Petrea had been an ocean of lava, and that, while its waves were running literally mountains high, it was commanded suddenly to stand still." And similarly writes Pringle: "The peculiar style of sublime and savage grandeur in this region, is certainly unequalled by anything I ever saw, and must, I imagine, be quite unique. It is like a sea of boiling lava, suddenly congealed, and rising in a confused chaos of abrupt and lofty pinnacles." About Mount Serbal, which lies north-west of Om Schomer, more on the northern part of the eastern coast of the Gulf of Suez, and which was once regarded by the pilgrims as the Sinai or Horeb of Scripture, see our note on xix. 1, 2.—The soil of this peninsula consists mostly of arid gravel (silicious earth), and produces nothing but acacias, tamarisks, and some few dwarfish shrubs. The tamarisk, one of the most common trees of that desert, yields the Manna, which in the month of June distils from the pores of the tree on the branches, leaves, and thorns which constantly cover the ground beneath the tree. (See note to xvi. 4). But in such parts of the peninsula as do not suffer from want of water, the soil is capable of cultivation, and can be made productive of various kinds of plants and vegetables; thus the plantations of Wadi Feiran, in the west, form an uninterrupted series of gardens and date groves, to an extent of four English miles. But the peninsula is not exempted from the ravages of the Samum, or glowing wind, which not seldom causes the most fearful devastations. The chief game there is the wild goat, called Beden, and the gazelle. On the eastern side there are serpents, with which the western regions also are partially infested. (See Num. xxi. 4, 6; Deut. viii. 15.) The chain of mountains which runs southwards from the El-Tyh, reaches its greatest elevation almost in the middle of the peninsula (28° 50′ N. lat.), in a mountain, which is generally (in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers) called Sinai, and sometimes (in Deuteronomy and Malachi) Horeb, but which is unconnected with the El-Tyh, and separated from it by white, sandy plains, and various hills called Zebeir. That double name is obviously manifest from the nature of the mountain. For, rising from a common base, the rocky mass separates, at a considerable height, into two unequal peaks, the lower one, towards the north, is called Horeb, the higher one, towards the south, Sinai, which is designated by the Arabian tribes, Dshebel Musa, that is, Mount of Moses. It is, besides, probable, that Horeb was the name for that whole mountainous region generally, whilst the highest peak in that group was called Sinai. There, where both summits part, is a plain, on which stands the convent of Elijah, who, as Scripture tells us (1 Kings xix. 8), fled to Horeb from the wrath of Jezebel. According to a tradition of the Mohammedans, God revealed himself to Moses in this part of the mountain, which they call Horeb (see, however, note to xxiv. 1). In the west of either mount, and at almost equal distance from either, is the highest point of the chain, which is at present called Mount St. Catherine, from some legend about the body of St. Catherine being transported by angels to its summit. This whole tract, which consists of enormous granitic rocks, and is intersected and surrounded by steep valleys, is situated on the south-eastern side of the plain Errahah. The mount Horeb is bordered by two parallel narrow valleys, namely: 1. Shuab, in the east (in which stands "the convent of Mount Sinai," founded by the emperor Justinian, 527 A. C., dedicated to the transfiguration of Christ, 28 German miles south-east of Suez); and, 2. El-Ledsha in the west (in which is the convent El-Erbain, i. e. of the forty martyrs). The Horeb rises to a height of 1200 to 1500 feet above the plain of Errahah, whilst the elevation of Mount Sinai above the sea amounts, according to Rueppell, to 7,035 Parisian feet. The Catherinemountain, which lies beyond the valley El-Ledsha, and is, according to the lastmentioned authority, 8,063 feet high, allows alone a free and extensive view over almost all parts of the peninsula, whilst, from the Dshebel Musa, the prospect is, in all directions, limited and obstructed. The top of the latter is a little plain of about 80 feet in diameter, on which, now, a small church stands, the chief attraction of the pious pilgrims. Although built of solid granite, it is now almost entirely dilapidated, owing to the incessant attempts of the Arabians to destroy it. About 30 feet from this chapel, on a somewhat lower plain, stands a poor little mosque, which is also held in high honour by the Moslems. It is much frequented by the Bedouins, who sacrifice here sheep in honour of Moses, offering vows to him, and imploring him to intercede with God in their favour. They celebrate a regular festival every year, for which they assemble in large numbers, and offer abundant sacrifices. The Arabians believe that the tablets of the Law are hidden under the floor of this church, and have, therefore, in the hope of finding them, instituted excavations in every direction. Burckhardt, one of the most accurate and conscientious of modern travellers, thus describes this region (ii. 971): "The upper nucleus of Sinai, composed almost entirely of granite, forms a rocky wilderness of an irregular circular shape, intersected by many narrow valleys, and from thirty to forty miles in diameter. It contains the highest mountains of the peninsula, whose shaggy and pointed peaks, and steep and shattered sides, render it clearly distinguishable from all the rest of the country in view. It is upon this highest region of the peninsula that the fertile valleys are found which produce fruit-trees; they are principally to the west and south-west of the convent, at three or four hours' distance. Water, too, is always found in plenty in this district, on which account it is the place of refuge of all the Bedouins when the "because no rain low country is parched up;" but the mountain itself is usually dry, falls upon it, and it is, therefore, called the mountain of dryness" ( Ebn Ezra). The whole group of mountains, except the highest points of Mount Catherine, is distinguished by a luxurious fertility: at the sides of the mountains are the most superior pasture-grounds, and in the valleys grow olive-and other fruit-trees-reason enough, why Moses, in our text, led his flock just to this region so far southwards.-These remarkable and deeply-interesting localities, connected as they are with the most sacred associations, have but recently been more carefully investigated by modern travellers and geographers, of whom the more important authors are: Büsching (Geography of Asia, p. 600, et seq.); Niebuhr (Travels, i. p. 247, et seq.); Volney (Travels, ii. p. 250); Burckhardt (Travels, ii. p. 872, et seq.); Rüppell (Abyssinia, i. p. 117, et seq.); Robinson (Travels, i. p. 144, et seq.); Wellsted (Travels, ii. p. 6o et seq.); St. Olin (Journal of the German Oriental Society, ii. p. 315, et seq. Russegger (Travels, iii. p. 200, who has especially directed his attention to the geol gical character of these regions). CHAPTER IV. SUMMARY.-Moses, who fears the disbelief of the Israelites, receives from God, as a verification of his mission, three signs, which he should perform before them, and after which they would confide in him: 1. the transmutation of his staff into a serpent, and of the serpent again into the staff; 2. the leprosy and cure of his hand; and, 3. the change of water from the Nile into blood. But Moses, after having, from modesty and diffidence, to the divine dissatisfaction, repeatedly declined the high and honourable charge, is promised the assistance of his brother Aaron as his interpreter, whilst he himself, inspired by God, would dictate to him the thoughts to be impressed upon Pharaoh and the Israelites. He then asks and obtains from his father-in-law, Jethro, leave to return to Egypt with his wife Zipporah and his two children, one of whom, Eliezer, had been recently born; and after having received renewed assurances of the success of his mission, he undertakes the journey, in the course of which he is threatened with imminent danger of death, which is, however, averted by Eliezer's immediate circumcision, hitherto blameably neglected. After this accident, Zipporah, as well as her two children, returned probably to Jethro. Aaron proceeds, on the command of God, from Egypt to meet his brother, and he joined him at the Mount Horeb; both return to Egypt; they summon the elders and the people of Israel, perform the three wonders before them, and find perfect belief. The people adore and thank God for the mercy now bestowed on them, and for the redemption so reliably guaranteed to them. AND Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared to thee. me. 1. But, behold, they will not believe Saadiah renders freely, "perhaps they will not believe me"; all the others translate, behold.-This objection of Moses, which he pronounces with such peremptoriness, has its source not only in his modesty and want of self-assurance (iii. 11), but in his thorough knowledge of the character and condition of his Hebrew brethren, who, degraded and hardened by oppressive labours, and mostly alienated from the belief of their ancestors, were not likely to listen to his promises, and the cheerful hopes proclaimed to them; the less so, as the immediate effect of the measures of Moses was not an alleviation, but an aggravation of their labours. - Moses received for himself but one sign, to be realised in a future time (iii. 12); the people, more obdurate and disbelieving than Moses, requires two or three obvious signs for its encouragement and interest. Numerous were the idolatrous customs into which the Israelites had fallen in Egypt, and so deep root had these abominations taken in the mass of the people, that even so late a prophet as Ezekiel felt the necessity of adverting to them with indignation. See Ezek. xx. 7,8; xxiii. 3. Comp. Josh. xxiv. 14. Nor hearken to my voice. In iii. 18, God assures Moses that the |