eyes of the people. 31. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had 'taken regard of the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed down and prostrated themselves. 1 Engl. Vers. - Visited. between Moses and the people (see ver. 16); to which tradition adds, that after the death of the latter, Eliezer, the son of Moses, performed the same function. And he did the signs before the eyes of the people, namely the three signs described in verses 2-9. Although the readiness of Aaron to co-operate with Moses, and the sympathy which the exhortations and promises of both excited among the Israelites, strongly prove that the hope of returning to the land of their ancestors, was a lively and dearlycherished feeling among them, yet the peculiar, enthusiastic character common to all eastern nations, imposed upon Moses the necessity of proving by miracles, that he was indeed the divine delegate; and even more than two thousand years later, Mohammed was compelled to display certain miracles in order to gain the confidence of his superstitious countrymen. 31. Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves. Although these verbs are likewise used with reference to man (Gen. xxiii. 7), and this kind of homage is, without dis tinction, rendered to all representatives of God, as kings and prophets; it appears here more in harmony with the context to explain that the Israelites prostrated themselves before God, rather than before Moses and Aaron. For Moses was so obviously the direct and immediate messenger of God, that it would have been preposterous to worship the servant, and not the Lord; and so deeply did the people feel the presence of God, that they were, at this moment, full of firm and genuine belief, whilst later, when the manifest instrumentality of Moses was, in some degree, obliterated from their minds, their sceptical disposition displayed itself in all its invidiousness. It is worthy of remark, that "a mere passive consent of the Israelites is all that Moses requires, for which he promises deliverance; he does not insist on any active co-operation on their part; he enjoins neither courage, discipline, enterprise, nor mutual confidence; nothing which might render insurrection formidable, or indicate an organised plan of resistance." CHAPTER V. SUMMARY.-Moses and Aaron proceed to the court of Pharaoh, and request him, in the name of the God of Israel, to allow the Hebrews to celebrate, after a three days' journey into the wilderness, a festival to their God. Pharaoh answers with scorn, that he does not know that God, nor was he willing to obey His commandments. When Moses and Aaron repeated the same demand, the king, in an ebullition of passion, pronounces the edict, that henceforth no straw should be given to the Israelites for the bricks, which they had to make, but that they should seek it themselves, and yet furnish the same amount of bricks as before; for he supposed that the request of Moses and Aaron was only a pretext for gratifying the idleness and rebellious disposition of the Hebrews. As the Israelitish labourers were not able to satisfy the increased demands of the king, the overseers, who were responsible for every deficiency in their work, were severely treated by the Egyptian task-masters; they complained before Pharaoh, who, however, only repeated his former tyrannical edict. In this distressed position they reproached Moses and Aaron with their thoughtless schemes, which had only tended to bring down new misery upon them. Moses, in grief and despondency, addressed his prayers to the Lord, asking wherefore it was necessary to send him to Pharaoh, if his mission was destined to increase, instead of diminishing, the calamity of His people. AND ND afterwards Moses and Aaron 'came and said to Pharaoh, Thus hath the Lord God of Israel said, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to 1 Engl. Vers. - Went in. 1. And afterwards Moses, etc. Only after having succeeded in securing the firm confidence of the people, Moses could .represent to Pharaoh the request of God, and accompanied by Aaron-but probably not the elders of Israel (see on iii. 18)-he proceeds to the court, where he is not only unknown to the king—who is the successor of him whose daughter had adopted and educated him (see ii. 23) -but also to the whole royal household, which during the forty years of his absence from Egypt must have considerably, if not entirely, been changed or remodelled. No doubt Aaron alone addressed Pharaoh (iv. 15, 16), and the plural, they spoke, is used because he did so in the name of Moses also; and the assertion that they spoke both together, because God had promised Moses: "I shall be with thy mouth and with his [Aaron's] mouth," is the more surprising, proceeding as it does from such a rational commentator as Ebn Ezra.-Thus hath the Lord God of Israel said. Jehovah is here (as in ver. 3) described as the national or peculiar God of Israel or the Hebrews, of whom Pharaoh himself confesses (ver. 2) to be ignorant—a sufficient proof for unbiassed critics, that the Tetragrammaton is neither derived from an Egyptian source, nor, much less, imparted to Moses by Egyptian priests (see note on iii. 14).—My nation, i. e., that nation, which knows and worships me, and which I have therefore taken under my special protection and providence (see on iv. 22). In the desert. The Israelites wished to sacrifice to God in the desert, not in Egypt before the eyes of the Egyptians, who would have been stimulated to fanatic fury by witness 2 Saith. ing the Hebrews killing the animals which were to themselves objects of worship and adoration (see viii. 22). Besides, this request must have appeared the less surprising to the Egyptians, as they also seem to have celebrated religious festivals in the desert. Near Sarabit-el-Khadim, in the wilderness, a locality has been found covered with old Egyptian edifices and monuments, on which the names of Egyptian kings are engraved. It is probable that the Egyptians frequently resorted to this and similar other places, for the celebration of religious festivals.Which was the residence of Pharaoh is a disputed question, to be decided either in favour of Memphis (in the neighbourhood of Cairo); or-which is far more probable for Zoan or Tanis, near the mouth of one of the eastern arms of the Nile, in the Delta. If there were no other proof for the latter supposition but the repeated statement, that Moses performed his wonders "in the field of Zoan" (Psalms lxxviii. 12, 43); it would be sufficient to remove every uncertainty. But further, in the passage (Num. xiii. 23): "and Hebron was built seven years before Zoan of Egypt," the capital is evidently alluded to. Other passages (as Gen xlv. 10; xlvi. 28, 29; Exod. ii. 3, 5), show, that the residence of Pharaoh must have been in the immediate vicinity of the abode of the Israelites of Goshen, which would agree well with Zoan. Osburn (Mon. Hist. ii. 575) believes that the interviews of Moses with Pharaoh took place in "Raamses or Rameses, which was situated on the western border of the Delta, about midway between the Canopic branch of the Nile and the canal of Alexandria.” These words contain two mistakes: 1 F me in the desert: 2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, whose voice I shall obey to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. 3. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met us: let us go, we pray thee, a three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice to the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with Raamses is not identical with Rameses, the former is the town, the latter is the province, synonymous with Goshen; and 2. Raamses does not lie on the western, but the eastern border of the Delta; it was not built for a royal residence, but for a fortified store city (see note on i. 11). The Pharaoh whom Moses addressed, was Amenophis, the sixteenth, or last king of the eighteenth Diospolitanic dynasty (see Introduction § 2, iii. 2.) 2. Who is the Lord, etc. These words of Pharaoh, who, relying upon the power of his own gods, openly defies the chastisement of all other deities, are the intense and revolting expression of the impotent wantonness of an arbitrary tyrant against an unhappy and oppressed nation, and the sum of his overweening obstinacy, which unavoidably called down upon him and his country the punishment of a justly recompensing Providence. Onkelos renders: "the name of Jehovah has not been revealed to me"; and Jonathan, still more significantly corroborating our remarks in the preceding verse, paraphrases thus: "The name of Jehovah has not been revealed to me....I do not find in the book of the angels (deities) the name of Jehovah mentioned, and therefore I do not fear him" (see note to iii. 13). I know not the Lord. 'Although the Pharaohs of Egypt know God by the name of Elohim (Gen. xli. 38, 39), they were ignorant of the holy designation of the Almighty; they refused therefore to allow the departure of the Israelites, whom they wished to serve them alone as their supreme sovereigns, and not their God" (Ebn Ezra). Compare about this verse also Cusari iv. 15. 3. And they said, the God of the Hebrews hath met us. Moses obviously 66 answers the spiteful question of Pharaoh : "Who is the Lord"? with the words: "He is the God of the Hebrews, whom you should know, who has shown Himself so mighty and zealous for the protection of His worshippers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the very ancestors of those whom you now treat with such unparalleled rigour."― Lest He fall upon us with pestilence or the sword. The suffix (lest he fall upon us) refers simply to the Israelites, who, according to the common notions of antiquity, fear the anger of the deity, if they neglect to offer him sacrifices in due time. But we are yet by no means prepared to subscribe Wilson's immoderate remark: 66 The Elohim of the early Jews (?) appears to have been originally conceived in the spirit of Milton's Moloch (!) The idea seems to have been that the withholding of the bloody sacrifice would goad him into a fit of destructive fury." It is needless to animadvert upon the impropriety of an observation which, heedless in itself, is in perfect antagonism not only with the whole spirit of the Old Test. but with distinct passages like the following: "Hath the Lord a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. xv. 22. Compare Hos. vi. 6. Isaiah i. 11, 12. Psalms xl. 7; li. 18, 19). Ebn Ezra and Abarbanel are of opinion, that the suffix includes Pharaoh and his people in the general calamity, the former being the chief impediment to the proper veneration of God; and Rashi, by way of euphemism, understands the king alone, whom Moses, from motives of fear or respect, hesitated to mention, although he knew perfectly pestilence, or with the sword. 4. And the king of Egypt said to Moses, Wherefore do you, Moses and Aaron, 'disturb the people from their works? Go you to your burdens. 5. And Pharaoh said further, Behold, the people of the land 'are already many; and you will make them rest 3 2 Now are many. well from the predictions of God (iv. 22, 23), that fearful misery would be the inevitable consequence of his disobedience. But it is unnecessary to go beyond the clear and obvious interpretation. 4. Go you to your. burdens. As We Moses and Aaron alone are here represented as speaking to Pharaoh (see ver. 1), these words of the king can possibly only be addressed to them, implying, however, indirectly the whole people, as the representatives and champions of which Moses and Aaron are justly considered. need, therefore, not to suppose with Rosenmüller and others, that this command is addressed to the elders who accompanied Moses and Aaron, nor much less with Mendelssohn, that they were spoken to the whole people, which had also appeared before Pharaoh. Further, Moses and Aaron, as members of the oppressed Hebrew nation, had to share the hard labours of their brethren, to which Pharaoh here commands them to return. It is impossible to understand with Rashi the words, go you to your burdens, of the private or domestic occupations of Moses and Aaron; the expression your burdens does not admit of this lenient signification (see i. 11). It is still more hazardous to suppose with Nachmanides, Rashi, and Abarbanel, that not only Moses and Aaron, but the whole tribe of Levi, was exempted from the manual work of their brethren; and that this tribe, which was considered by Pharaoh to consist of the teachers and wise men of the Israelites, enjoyed, besides, other privileges similar to those of the caste of the Egyptian priests. However, the tenour of these verses, and of the concluding part of the preceding chapter (ver. 30) proves, that the tyran 3 And ye make them, etc. nical control, which the Egyptians exercised over the Hebrews, was not SO unremitting and relentless as is usually represented (see note to i. 11). 5. The people of the land are already many; that is, the Israelites who are a part of the natives of the land and who, by their sojourn of four hundred years, could be considered as indigenous Egyptians, increase in a menacing degree. It cannot be denied, that the expression," the people of the land," implies a certain contempt, so that Mendelssohn renders well: the low people. The Samaritan version reads: "Behold they (the Israelites) are already more numerous than the people of the country (the Egyptians)," which is against the Hebrew text.-And you will make them rest from their burdens? Pharaoh, to whom the Israelites are, by their extraordinary increase, an object of apprehension, believes them to be the more dangerous, if relieved from their breathless labours, and thus permitted to enjoy leisure, in which they might be tempted to scheme rebellious plans for their deliverance (see ver. 9). The Sept. translates: "The people is numerous, let us therefore not allow them to rest from their labours," as if Pharaoh addressed these words to his council (see i. 10), contrary to our text. Still more free is the translation of the Vulgate, from which we should be led to infer, that the cause of Pharaoh's fear was the still greater increase, and not rather the dangerous leisure of the people. As questionable is the opinion of those, who believe that Pharaoh alludes to the great loss which would be caused to him if so vast a multitude of labourers discontinue their works; but this does not appear from their burdens? 6. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their 'overseers, saying: 7. You shall not continue to give the people straw to make bricks, as heretofore: let them go Engl. Vers.-Officers. adapted to our context. And as if desirous to show what arts might be displayed in the interpretation of an easy and simple verse, Rosenmüller believes, "Pharaoh addressed the words contained in this verse to the task-masters, who are mentioned in the next verse, but never before in this chapter.-The last resource to which Pharaoh took refuge for the checking of the increase and energy of the Israelites, after all other devices had failed, was incessant work, under which the tyrant hoped they would lose all self-respect, and forget all aspirations for a more honourable condition and treatment. The greater was necessarily his indignation against Moses and Aaron, who revived in the Hebrews the old feelings of independence and liberty, and made them conscious of the degradation to which they were reduced by the despotism of the king. 6. And Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their overseers. The former were, most probably, Egyptians, who superintended the public works, and prescribed the tasks to be executed; the latter were Israelites (see ver. 14, 15), who controlled the workmen, watched that those tasks were duly performed, and who were responsible to the former. Thus one taskmaster had the superintendance over many overseers (Shoterim). The real meaning and the exact functions of the Shoterim, is a matter of much dispute; it appears, however, that the question might, in the following manner, be brought to a certain conclusion. There are, especially, two different opinions on the subject, which deserve our notice; the one deriving the word from the Arabic verb to write; so that it would be writer, public registrar (French greffier); the other connecting it with the substan tive præfectus, overseer, officer. But as every overseer, or officer, has to furnish reports or accounts, both significations are naturally kindred, and, in reality, but one. Hence it will not appear surprising that the Shoterim filled the following various offices: 1st. According to our passage they were the medium between their own brethren and the Egyptian task-masters. 2nd. They were the coadjutors of the elders (in Num. xi. 16, the elders themselves; see Deut. xix. 9); 3rd. the assistants of the military commanders (Deut. i. 15; 2 Chron. xxvi. 11), and, 4th. in some respects, the colleagues of the judges (Deut. xvi. 18; Josh. viii. 33; xxiv. 1, 4); and, therefore, elective like them. 5th. They performed the functions of censors, or comptrollers, of the army (1 Chron. xxvii. 1); and, 6th. They had, probably, to keep the statistical and genealogical lists of the people, although this might not have been their principal duty. All these offices make the knowledge of writing a fundamental condition, and show that the Shoterim were not subordinate functionaries, but officers of a much superior rank, frequently taken from among the Levites, the most instructed part of the people (2 Chron. xix. 11). It is well known, that the Egyptians had also scribes with functions similar to those of the corresponding Hebrew magistrates; and that even now the Arabic fellahs, whose position is very analogous to that of the Israelites described in our text, are treated by the Turks in the same manner. Arabic overseers have to give an account of the labours of their countrymen to the Turkish taskmasters, who often chastise them mercilessly for the real or imputed offences of the Arabic workmen (see Rosellini, ii. 2. p. 257. ii.3.218; Wilkinson, Eg. and Theb.i. p.393). |